-The Hindu Business Line Early germination failure of soyabean seeds this July saw farmers join hands against seed companies; farmer organisations and political parties now seem to have thrown in their hats Pune: An increasing number of soybean and onion farmers deciding to develop seed plots, so that they don’t have to buy seeds from private seed companies, has the seed industry worried. Maharashtra agriculture department is encouraging farmers to develop their own...

-The Hindu Business Line MSMEs are using funds from the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme more to pay off earlier loans than as growth capital The Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) was one of the highlights of the economic package announced by the government in May, and it became operational on May 23. The scheme is basically a loan guarantee for all MSMEs which were operational as on February 29 with...

-The Indian Express During the meeting, both the sides tried to bring a common ground to restore the rail services in Punjab, which have been suspended since September 24, when farmers started their “rail roko” agitation against the central laws. THE talks between the government and representatives of farmer unions remained inconclusive on Friday, with both sides refusing to budge from their respective stands but agreeing to continue discussions. The farmer organisations...

-CivilSocietyOnline.com When millions of workers literally burst on to the scene during the sudden lockdown in India, the entire country was shocked by how vulnerable they seemed. They didn’t have housing, savings, healthcare and rights as employees. In their large numbers, they accounted for the majority of the workforce and yet there was no one to speak for them. The lockdown was expected to be a watershed moment because of this unsettling...

-The Indian Express Thermal plants shut down, leading to power cuts, raw material supply cut off to industry, movement of food grains hit Chandigarh: SUSPENSION OF railway traffic to Punjab since September 24 amid the farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s farm laws has left the state gasping for power, fertilisers and raw material for industry and gunny bags for paddy procurement, besides bringing to a halt the movement of food grains and...