-The Indian Express NABARD’s new survey offers a baseline to double farmers’ incomes. But is a survey done in a drought year a reliable yardstick? On August 16, NABARD presented the nation with a gift when it released the results of its All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey (NAFIS). Among other things, the survey estimates 2015-16 farmers’ income levels. In February 2016, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented his vision of doubling...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the response of the Election Commission on petitions filed by Congress leaders seeking the use of voter-verified paper audit trail machines in randomly selected polling stations. A bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan posted the matter for further hearing to August 31. Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Sachin Pilot have filed separate petitions seeking the use of VVPAT machines in "at...

A recent report by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) enlightens one about the state of farmers' income and indebtedness in 2015-16. Entitled NABARD All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey 2016-17 – in short NAFIS 2016-17 – the report says that between 2012-13 and 2015-16 the average monthly income for agricultural households grew by around 39 percent. One may recall that the Key Indicators of Situation Assessment Survey...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Kerala did not have inundation maps or emergency action plans when waterworks engineers, responding to rising water levels, released the shutters of dams last week, but other States may be similarly vulnerable, a 2017 government audit report suggests. In the absence of detailed inundation maps or action plans, district authorities can warn local communities about an impending rise in water levels but without a clear idea of how...

-Down to Earth Although the average farm income per month saw a rise in the last four years, it is still not enough to help farmers cope with the current agrarian crisis A latest report by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), a government agency, again, shows the vulnerability of Indian agriculture households.   The NABARD All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey (NAFIS) shows that average agriculture household income was...