-The Business Standard The state govt will rent out Heavy machinery to farmers on a rental basis Dharwad (Karnataka): Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda has said that the government will open 186 customised centres in the state to enhance yield and overcome the shortage of agriculture labourer. Through these centres, the government will rent out Heavy machinery to farmers on a rental basis. He said this at the opening of the Krishi Mela...

The Business Standard The Planning Commission has not been central to the policymaking process since the mid-1960s In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the end of the Planning Commission. There will be few mourners at its funeral, mainly old war horses like me. So this is in the nature of an obituary for an institution in which I served for a decade and a half, and where I...

-The Times of India NASHIK: Two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Nashik have provided relief to some drought-prone villages in Nashik, by constructing check dams or by reviving the ancient ones. Ten villages have benefited from these projects and more check dams are in the offing. The NGOs had conducted independent research in Sinnar and in Peth, given that these areas suffered from acute water scarcity in the summer months. In 2007, the...

-IANS A small sugarcane farmer in western Maharashtra, Bhau Kadam (name changed) and his family, own about three hectares of land. He has two sons who are both graduates and work in Pune. When I asked him why he did not make his sons farmers, he says that farming is hard work, is non-remunerative and it is difficult to get labour. Besides he also thinks that farming is not glamorous, a farmer's...

-PTI NEW DELHI: Concerned over escalating prices of onion, Delhi Government today said it is considering setting up of outlets across the city to make available the vegetable at reasonable rates. "We may open stalls, like we did before, to make available onions at reasonable rates in case prices continue to soar," Development Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, who looks after functioning of wholesale vegetable and fruit markets in the city, said. He said...