-Press Information Bureau (Ministry of Agriculture) As per Census conducted by Registrar General of India, the total number of Agricultural workers in the country comprising cultivators and Agricultural labourers increased from 234.1 million (127.3 million cultivators and 106.8 million Agricultural labourers) in 2001 to 263.0 million (118.7 million cultivators and 144.3 million Agricultural labourers) in 2011. As per Agriculture Census 2010-11, about 85% of the operational holdings accounting for about 44% of...
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Between 2000 and 2012, jobs grew by a mere 2% per year -Subodh Varma
-The Times of India As India heads towards a bruising general election, one of the key issues in the minds of both people and political parties is jobs. Big parties and their star campaigners can already be heard harping on the theme. The reason is that the jobs scenario has been decidedly grim for more than a decade. Between 2000 and 2012, jobs have increased at an abysmal rate of just 2.2%...
More »MGNREGA: A tale of wasted efforts
-Live Mint The scheme represents Rs.2.3 trillion spent on wasteful rural consumption This week marked the eighth anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's key rural intervention, launched in 200 districts initially in February 2006. To the extent that such populist schemes helped raise wages without raising productivity. They have contributed more to inflation than to rural wealth. Worse, such schemes have...
More »Food prices fall for first time in three months –UN agency
-The United Nations Global food prices declined for the first time in three months as lower prices for cereals, sugars, oils and meat outstripped gains in dairy values, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported today. The Rome-based agency said its Food Price Index averaged 203.4 points in January, which is 1.3 per cent below December and 4.4 per cent below January 2013. The Index measures monthly changes in international prices...
More »A healthy alternative to white bread -BS Satish Kumar
-The Hindu UAS-B says its millet bread is ideal for diabetics Bangalore (Karnataka): There is some good news for those who are looking for a healthier option for bread made of refined wheat flour (maida). A team of nutritionists of the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bangalore has developed "non-junk" bread. This bread is made of nutrient-rich minor millets. Head of the university's Food Sciences and Nutrition Department H.B. Shivaleela, who was part of the research...
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