-The Indian Express Pune: Angry farmers in Pimpalgaon Baswant, the biggest onion trading market in Nashik after Lasalgaon, brought business to a complete halt on Monday after average wholesale prices fell to R950 per quintal. Last week, farmers had threatened to disrupt markets if prices fell below the R1,000-per quintal mark. Farmers blocked the Mumbai-Agra highway in the morning, halting traffic for the entire day. Their demands are removal of the minimum export...

-The Hindu Pune: The two-day State bandh called by sugarcane farmers in Maharashtra started on a violent note on Thursday, especially in the western part of the State. The farmers, under the leadership of MP Raju Shetty of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), have been agitating for a higher first advance from the government. The protest, which started on November 15, disrupted normal life as transport services were stopped across west Maharashtra....

-The Indian Express For several decades now, the Indian government and a variety of donor agencies have promoted and implemented "livelihoods projects". These projects depend upon women's self-help groups, or SHGs, to raise living standards - particularly of the 25 crore rural poor. In 2011, the Indian government launched the Rs 38,000 crore National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), also known as Ajeevika (reportedly now being merged with the Mahatma Gandhi National...

-The Telegraph Bhubaneswar: The Bengal government-designed potato shortage has prompted vegetable sellers in Odisha to plan a retaliation. The traders' associations in Balasore have threatened to detain trucks carrying essential commodities and fish from Andhra Pradesh and other states to Bengal on the national highway passing through this district in retaliation to the Bengal government's decision. Despite chief minister Naveen Patnaik requesting his counterpart in Bengal, the largest supplier of potato to Odisha,...

-The Hindu ‘We'll consider extending Shaadi Bhagya to women from all communities' MYSORE (Karnataka): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Wednesday, said that the government was committed to ushering in a hunger-free State and shore up growth. Speaking at a public function at T. Narsipura after participating in the launch of various projects, including inauguration of a new bridge and laying the foundation stone for two new bridges, Mr. Siddaraiamaiah, said that the government had...