-Down to Earth Can pre-poll sops like giving smart phones with internet connectivity to farmers increase farm income? Last week, thousands of farmers and agricultural workers poured into the National Capital to attract and focus the attention of the Central government to their demands. The Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Rally, organised by farmers’ organization, All India Kisan Sabha, and the All India Agriculture Workers Union, broke all records as far as crowd numbers...

-The Economic Times Demonetisation seems to have had no impact on cash savings by the Indian household, Savings are again going out of the banking system with share of savings in form of cash touching decade high and that of deposits touching decade lows. While currency in circulation is at Rs 19.38 lakh crore is much higher than pre-demonetisation levels, household savings in form of cash and currency has surged to...

-Business Standard This survey also shows how things have moved forward since the last large-scale sample survey conducted by NSSO in 2012-13 The recent survey by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), which attracted criticism for increasing the threshold of income for agricultural households, has some insights into how the rural landscape in the country has been changing. Released on August 17, the survey defined those households as agricultural that...

-Livemint.com Preference for government jobs is highest among college-educated rural youth, a segment seen at the forefront of recent agitations for quotas, shows analysis In one of the largest such exercises ever conducted in the world, millions of applicants are appearing this month for an online recruitment test conducted by the Indian Railways. The Railways Recruitment Board (RRB) has received more than 24 million applications for roughly 120,000 vacancies in the organization. Most...

-The Indian Express NABARD’s new survey offers a baseline to double farmers’ incomes. But is a survey done in a drought year a reliable yardstick? On August 16, NABARD presented the nation with a gift when it released the results of its All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey (NAFIS). Among other things, the survey estimates 2015-16 farmers’ income levels. In February 2016, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented his vision of doubling...