-The Indian Express The forthcoming budget is expected by some to be make-or-break or path-breaking, by others, to provide a legislative or economic roadmap for the rest of this government's term. Most likely, it will focus on issues within the purview of the finance ministry, namely, macro management, taxation, expenditure, the financial sector and balance of payments. The abolition of the Planning Commission and the 14th Finance Commission recommendations on tax devolution...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Farmers' plight has worsened due to the non-remunerative nature of agriculture but the Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that it would not be able to enhance the minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce to be 50% more than the input cost. A PIL filed by Consortium of Indian Farmers Association had complained that agriculture had become non-remunerative and was driving farmers to borrow...

-Zee News Agriculture is consistently losing its importance in India's economic growth. The agriculture sector contributes to just 15 percent of India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but over 50 percent of the population is still dependent on it. The farm sector, including forestry and fishing, grew by 3.2 percent in the quarter ending September, as compared o 3.8 percent in previous quarter and 4.7 percent in 2013-14. For the entire financial...

-The Indian Express New Delhi: Bihar, along with Chhattisgarh and Orissa, have recorded the highest improvement among all states in the operations of their public distribution system (PDS), measured by the extent of grain leakages taking place. Development economists Jean Dreze and Reetika Khera estimate that only 9.3 per cent of the foodgrains channeled through Chhattisgarh's PDS network failed to reach the intended consumers in 2011-12. This is a substantial reduction relative...

-Deccan Herald Hassan: Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the department was chalking out various plans like supplying ragi and jowar to the ration card holders, which would be finalised soon. Addressing media persons after inspecting the maize procurement centre and the godowns at the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee yard during his visit to Hassan, on Tuesday, he said that the department had been purchasing ragi, providing support...