-Business Standard The government is holding talks with states providing cashless health insurance, such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat After providing life cover and accident cover, the government is now working on a universal health insurance plan. To begin with, it will provide a seamless solution to the existing cashless health schemes in states by integrating those with the Centre's direct benefits transfer (DBT) platform. Later, these would be scaled up. "Encouraged...

-The Indian Express Since January 1, this year, every week between 20-30 suicides have been reported in eight districts of Marathwada Pune/Beed/Nanded: EVEN AS the ruling party and the opposition are sparring over granting of loan waiver to drought-hit farmers in Maharashtra, as many as 112 distressed farmers, rattled by mounting debts and withering crop, ended their lives this month in Marathwada region. This brought the toll to 1,109 this year. Compared...

-DNA The report said it will ease the exit of those farmers who find farming unattractive or non-viable and economically strengthen those farmers who want to stay and raise the scale of operational holdings. Opening farmland for 'liberalised leasing' through government-run 'Land Banks' can be a 'win-win reform' in the Indian farm sector, stated the latest report of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog taskforce on agricultural development. The report...

-Livemint.com The most glaring implication of the proposed deficiency payments is that it makes the state give up its responsibility of intervening in markets During the past few months, there has been a highly contested debate on the merits, viability and feasibility of crop insurance in India given the large number of small farmers and the large amount of subsidy involved that is not being effectively used as the coverage of...

--NetworkIdeas.org The US crop insurance has been touted as the solution for vulnerable farmers all over the world but before emulating it is important to consider the perverse effects of it. Please click here to access. ...