-TheWire.in The Shiromani Akali Dal has accused the Amarinder Singh-led congress government of not fulfilling its promise of loan waivers for farmers in the state. New Delhi: A total of 919 farmers have committed suicide in Punjab in the last two years. On Tuesday, the families of some of the deceased farmers protested at the Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh, The Tribune reported. Around 100 families who had gathered under the aegis of...

-The Hindu The top-down, rushed approach of the government in reaching out to farmers is likely to end in failure This year’s Interim Budget is being regarded as a big spread for farmers. The government announced its decision to transfer Rs.6,000 every year directly to 12 crore farmers holding cultivable land up to 2 hectares through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. While this is a progressive step, is it...

-The Indian Express Direct income support for farmers is too late, too little The hopes of farmers for a meaningful package from the Modi government have evaporated after the announcements in the Union budget. The proposed Rs 6,000 annual direct income support to small and marginal farmers is a drop in the ocean. States like Telangana and Odisha have done much better with their Rythu Bandhu and Kalia schemes respectively. After...

-The Hindu Invites political parties for discussion; Congress, RJD and NCP agree to participate so far As political parties prepare their election manifestos and promises, a group of civil society leaders and concerned citizens on Tuesday released a document, Reclaiming the Republic, which they hope will shape the political agenda in the run up to the Lok Sabha poll. The comprehensive list includes judicial and electoral reforms, repeal of laws which threaten personal...

-ThePrint.in Rahul Gandhi’s announcement is certainly good politics, but does it make for good economics? Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s announcement on a minimum income guarantee for the poor, coming days before the Narendra Modi administration unveils its own income support plans in the interim budget, certainly makes for good politics. But does it make for good economics? With the stress on farmer incomes and rural wages reaching crisis proportions, efforts to loosen the...