-Livemint.com The average annual income of agricultural households was Rs 107,172, the National Financial Inclusion Survey 2016-17 shows New Delhi: Rural households have access to banking and have savings but investment levels and pension and insurance coverage remain very low, a financial inclusion survey conducted by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) showed. At the same time, levels of indebtedness were high and nearly equalled annual incomes, according to...

-The Hindu The ongoing south-west monsoon has wreaked havoc in Kerala, with as many as 20 people killed in rain-related incidents on Thursday, taking the overall toll to 87. Here’s a look at how relentless rains over the past two months led to a chain of events which resulted in the floods. Hitting a high This year, the south-west Monsoon brought three spells of rains to Kerala — FIRst during mid-June, second during mid-July...

-The Indian Express PM Modi said, “World Health Organisation has said that 3 lakh deaths of babies have been averted by the Swachh Bharat Mission." However, he overstated the facts, albeit by a small margin. New Delhi: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to a World Health Organisation report lauding Swachh Bharat Mission for saving the lives of 3 lakh babies in his Independence Day speech on Wednesday, he had overstated the...

-Livemint.com Rural development secretary Amarjeet Sinha on how MGNREGS has evolved since 2006 to result in income, acreage, water tables, productivity and fodder availability Agrarian distress and rural distress are terms used interchangeably, but the rural economy today is very different from what it was many years ago, given the diversification of rural incomes and hence incorrect to think one means the other, says Amarjeet Sinha, secretary, ministry of rural development. In...

-The Hindu Business Line New Delhi: Raising farm income could well be the agenda for 2019 general elections and well aware of this is the Narendra Modi government, which is leaving no stone unturned to lure this vote bank. Navigating this agenda for the government is Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Aware of the challenges of the price sensitive market, Singh said, “agriculture markets cannot be...