-TheThirdPole.net Between wasteful flood irrigation, free electricity to farmers, and skewed market incentives, agriculture is a mess; while lack of accountability creates urban water problems in South Asia The 2019 South Asian summer monsoon is late, slow and inadequate so far. If it makes up somewhat for lost time, those 55% of Indian farmers who do not get irrigation water will still suffer, but there is a chance that reservoirs may fill...

-The Hindu An RBI panel’s suggestions on the MSME sector cut to the heart of crucial issues The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector in India is not only a key engine of growth, contributing more than 28% of the GDP and about 45% to manufacturing output. It is also a true reflection of economics where people really matter. Providing employment to about 111 million people, the sector’s health is crucial...

-PTI * Survey also noted that the next generation in 48% farming families does not want to pursue agriculture * At least 43.6 per cent farmers said they did not get the correct price for their produce, said the survey conducted rural media platform Gaon Connection NEW DELHI: Loan schemes don't reach almost 60% people in rural India, says a new survey which also finds climate change to be the biggest challenge for...

-Hindustan Times/ Howindialives.com According to the Water and Sanitation Support Organisation, government of Maharashtra, the number of water tankers ordered from May till the third week of June has kept rising and stood at 42,680, against 10,801 during the corresponding period of 2018—an increase of about four times. As the monsoons finally covered more parts of Maharashtra last week, government data from a related metric shows just how grim the water...

-Down to Earth The midday meal scheme for schoolchildren is increasingly getting politicised, as the upper class elite wants to impose its own religious/food beliefs on malnourished children Most countries in the world now have some programme that provides midday meals to schoolchildren. School meals have been widely hailed for their multiple benefits — they increase enrolment and attendance, particularly of children from vulnerable groups; contribute to reduce “classroom hunger” and improve...