-The Indian Express "It was felt that the BJP's defeat in the recent state elections might force it to take some concrete steps in the budget on these issues. Sadly, it hasn't happened and has disappointed farmers again," said Ajit Nawale, Maharashtra general secretary of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS). New Delhi: Criticising the central government’s cash dole of Rs 6,000 per year to small farmers, the All India Kisan Sabha...
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The mistaken obsession with the fiscal deficit -CP Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh
-Networkideas.org It’s that time of year again – the time when all eyes turn to those magic numbers, the actual and proposed fiscal deficits of the central government as shares of GDP. Breathless news anchors will interrogate financial investors on what the numbers MEAn, and why 3.5 per cent or 3.7 per cent is fatally worse than, say, 3.4 per cent or 3.2 per cent or less. Everyone will breathe a...
More »Dream crops or farmers' worst nightmare? -Vivek Waghmode, Sandeep Rai and Satyajit Joshi
-The Times of India Mills in Maharashtra and UP, the two states that account for most of India's sugar supply, owe sugarcane farmers Rs 12,700 cr. Yet, farmers do not want to move away from the crop KOLHAPUR/ MEERUT: Unrest simmers in districts of western Maharashtra and parts of Uttar Pradesh, considered the sugar bowls of the country, over unpaid cane crushing dues. Despite the problems which beset farmers, however, they have...
More »Government weighs options for pre-poll farm package -Vishwa Mohan
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Will it be Telangana’s ‘Rythu Bandhu’ or Odisha’s ‘Kalia’ scheme which the Centre bets on in its much anticipated farm package ahead of general elections? Apart from these two schemes, the Centre is also looking at some proposals including area-based income compensation and waiving off premium for crop insurance and interest on loans for farmers who pay on time. The Centre’s farm options are due to...
More »Income transfer can ease farm distress -A Narayanamoorthy & P Alli
-The Hindu Business Line It scores over loan waivers as it benefits all farmers and gives them more control over the cultivation and sale of their produce There is an illusion across various quarters that a one-time farm loan waiver can remove all the hardships farmers have been going through over the last 15 years or so. This illusion has been occupying more space in public discourse in recent months because of...
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