Every year in the month of either February or March, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) announces the notified MGNREGA wage rates (i.e., notified daily wage rates for MGNREGA workers) for various states and Union Territories (UTs) for the upcoming financial year. The MGNREGA rates are notified every year based on the increase in Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL). Like the previous years, in 2021 too, experts and civil...

-The Hindu Classes 1-5 to benefit; this is among 5 schemes announced Chennai: On the occasion of the DMK government of Chief Minister M. K. Stalin stepping into its second year on Saturday, the State was richer by five new development schemes. Mr. Stalin made the announcements in the Assembly. The schemes are a free morning breakfast scheme for government school students, a scheme to eradicate nutrition deficiency, establishment of schools of excellence...

-The Hindu Business Line Says shift to rice will help mitigate scarcity-like situation amid dip in wheat procurement The Centre has revised allocation of rice and wheat for 12 States under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) by asking Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Kerala to shift to rice for their entire grain requirement. For others, the reduction in the quantity of wheat will be compensated with the same amount...

-The Hindu What is the Opposition-ruled States’ stand on reduction of value added tax to bring down petrol prices?  The story so far: Petrol is retailing at more than ₹100 per litre across India. While rising crude oil prices have added to the burden, the primary reason behind the steep increase in pump fuel prices over the last few years is the gradually rising Central Government's excise duty component. Currently, for every...

-NITI Aayog Working Paper, ISBN: 978-81-953811-7-3 Abstract -  The importance of agriculture in an economy usually declines as it climbs the development ladder. Raising agriculture productivity has been known to be an important precursor. Labour productivity in agriculture can either be increased by higher land productivity or higher land availability per farmer and mechanisation. In India, however, the dramatic increase in land productivity through industrial farming has caused severe environmental damage and...