-The Financial Express The government’s move to roll out the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) from the ongoing kharif season has got a boost with 18 agriculturally critical states, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Maharashtra, having floated tenders to identify insurers who will offer the scheme to farmers. According to agriculture ministry data, Rajasthan has completed the bidding process for identifying insurance companies...

-PTI New Delhi: To meet the demand for fertiliser in the ongoing kharif season, the government has contracted 2 million tonnes of urea import for delivery by the month-end. India is dependent on urea imports as domestic output is lower than the demand. Overseas purchase is being done via three state trading enterprises — STC, MMTC and IPL. “Our urea requirement is 2.5 million tonnes for this kharif season. We have finalised imports...

-Livemint.com Govt’s plan to cover 80% farmers falling apart as banks have disbursed loans to only 3.1 million farmers in the kharif season Mumbai: Maharashtra government’s plan to cover 80% of the state’s 13.7 million farmers under institutionalised crop credit in 2016-17 seems to be falling apart. By 30 June, a large network of public, private and district co-operative banks had disbursed crop loans to only 3.1 million farmers in the...

-PTI New Delhi: Under pressure to control pulses prices, the Centre is hopeful of clinching a long-term deal with Mozambique for assured supply of lentils after the two countries had positive talks last week. Indian delegations last week visited pulses growing nations, Mozambique and Myanmar, to explore government-to- government arrangement for assured supply of lentils, especially tur, on a long term basis. "The delegation is back with long term solution in sight. The...

-The Indian Express Across the country, wage employment generated under the scheme has gone up from 32 crore person-days in April - May 2015 to 51 crore person-days in the corresponding months of 2016. Signalling an increase in uptake of MGNREGA work on the ground owing to drought as well as the slow revival of the scheme itself, the person-days generated in the first two months of the financial year has gone...