-The Indian Express "Of the 188, families of 174 farmers have received compensation," Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said, saying 122 cases were declared ineligible for compensation, while 329 cases are pending for further investigation. New Delhi: Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil has said 639 farmers have committed suicide in three months (March to May) this year due to pressing debt, crop failure and the inability to repay bank loans. Patil was replying...

-IndiaToday.in New Delhi: Farmer unions have welcomed hike in Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops announced by the Centre on Wednesday, but said that the increase was well short of their expectations. All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) the umbrella body representing 194 farmer unions from across the country, has called the hike as old wine in a new bottle. An AIKSCC statement said that the Cabinet decision to fix...

-TheWire.in It will greatly bring down the poverty reduction impact of the programme, harm the construction of much-needed rural infrastructure and dramatically diminish the labourers’ bargaining power vis-À-vis the farmers. At the recent fourth governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog, the government announced the formation of a sub-group of chief ministers to propose ways of linking the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with agricultural activities. The group is headed...

-National Herald Last year, Centre had informed the Supreme Court that despite a multi-pronged approach to improve income and social security of farmers, over 12,000 suicides were reported in the agricultural sector every year since 2013 Over the last 48 hours, at least 24 debt ridden farmers have committed suicide. The Marathwada region in Maharashtra has alone witnessed 452 instances of suicide in the first half of 2018 Despite announcements of loan waivers...

-Livemint.com Agriculture is not only crucial for what happens to growth, inflation and rural distress, it is also politically important given the simmering discontent among farmers in the last two years Last week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) declared that the south-west monsoon has covered the entire country, 15 days earlier than normal. This may be a cause for celebration considering the distress in agriculture in the last four years. Agriculture is...