-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Soon, the last-mile connectivity in remote villages of the country's backward pockets may be provided by transport services run by women's Self Help Groups. The Centre is working on a scheme to provide interest-free loan to women's SHGs to enable them to buy vehicles and hire drivers. These vehicles will serve as public transport to villages not connected to the main town by any such service....

-Firstpost.com The battle for the rural heartland has commenced in full earnest.  Even though the two main opposition parties are not officially behind the strike called by Farmers, their support and muscle is in full evidence. Surprisingly, the Shiv Sena – an alliance partner of the present government -- has also supported the agitation. Yesterday, milk and vegetables had to be brought into some of Maharashtra’s cities under police escort.  The shrill...

-Firstpost.com After Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh has now been rocked by Farmer unrest. At least six Farmers were killed and eight others were critically injured on Tuesday when the police resorted to firing to subdue the protesting Farmers in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh. In both Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, the Farmers’ demands are almost similar: they want complete farm loan waiver as a short-term palliative and secondly, institutionalised mechanism for getting better prices...

-The Economic Times blog Finance minister Arun Jaitley was correct when he stated in April that constitutional constraints do not empower his government to tax agricultural income, implying that he is not constrained from amending the Income-Tax Act. B R Ambedkar, in framing the Constitution, was vehemently critical of British land revenue system, the foundation for which was laid during the Mughal period, and strengthened by the East India Company, which...

-Livemint.com Maharashtra Farmers continue with their protests despite assurance from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of a debt waiver by October New Delhi: The fifth day of the strike by protesting Farmers in Maharashtra on Monday witnessed unprecedented visuals of milk tankers being ferried to state capital Mumbai under heavy police cover. Not long ago, before the monsoons arrived last year, rail wagons transporting water to severely drought-hit districts in the state were...