-TheWire.in It will greatly bring down the poverty reduction impact of the programme, harm the construction of much-needed rural infrastructure and dramatically diminish the labourers’ bargaining power vis-à-vis the farmers. At the recent fourth governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog, the government announced the formation of a sub-group of chief ministers to propose ways of linking the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with agricultural activities. The group is headed...
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India needs both price and income support for farmers -Soumya Kanti Ghosh and Debashis Padhi
-Livemint.com The concerns about the downsides of these schemes are overblown, and they could go some way in alleviating rural woes Since the Union Budget 2018-19, there has been a great deal of discussion in the public domain regarding the health of the rural sector. We believe that the rural sector needs some policy intervention, be it price support or income support. As a case in point, the agri gross domestic product...
More »State's farmers discover there is life beyond rice and wheat, take to animal farming, fishery -Arjun Sharma
-Firstpost.com Chandigarh: With extensive rice farming in Punjab taking an increasing toll on groundwater reserves and soil health, government agencies are now asking farmers to diversify into profitable allied trades including dairy and pig farming and fisheries. Farmers are also being asked to cultivate crops other than paddy. Farmers in different parts of the state have started growing other, more profitable crops alongside rice. In a break with the fertiliser and pesticide-driven...
More »Farm support prices come with hidden costs -Ashima Goyal
-The Hindu Business Line In view of the distortions arising out of excessive price support, direct income transfers to farmers is a better option The domestic debate has tended to conclude that the rise in MSP announced in the Budget is an essential part of achieving the government’s objective of doubling farm incomes. But MSP stands for minimum support prices and is an instrument designed for reducing income volatility, not for raising...
More »In Odisha's rice bowl, suspected starvation death raises the spectre of hunger stalking the elderly -Priya Ranjan Sahu
-Scroll.in Too ill to collect her share of PDS rice and with most of her neighbours unaware of her condition, Kunduru Nag, 68, died on June 12. Around 20 km from the district headquarters of Bargarh, Khuntpali seems to be quite developed compared to most villages in Odisha. Located in the irrigated region of the district – often referred to as the “rice bowl” of the state – Khuntpali is also...
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