-TheWire.in Banks are deducting ‘crop insurance premiums’ from farmers’ current accounts without their knowledge. In the Bhivani district of Haryana, a 49-year-old farmer, Bansi Lal, complained that Rs 2,480 was deducted from an account that was linked to his Kissan Credit Card (KCC), without his knowledge. Upon enquiry, the bank informed him that the money was deducted under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY). But when he told the bank that...
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The great Finance Bill trick -Niranjan Sahoo
-DNA The political funding reforms are an embarrassment to India’s claims of heralding a transparency revolution Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetization drive and his expressed desire to bring transparency in political funding, there were expectations of more concrete measures to cleanse the Augean stables of Indian politics. The government responded quickly, albeit through the Finance Bill. For the first time, the Union Budget 2017 devoted a full section (420...
More »No Country For Maharashtra's Dryland Farmers -Milind Murugkar
-TheWire.in Falling prices and a lack of adequate procurement centres have left tur producers grasping for a way out. The chief minister of Maharashtra is sending disturbing political signals to dryland farmers in his state. His recent statement, which was aimed at reassuring tur (arhar) producers in the state, says that in order to help farmers who are bearing the brunt of a fall in its prices below the minimum support price...
More »Why I would not advocate vegetarianism -Sunita Narain
-Down to Earth Meat eating is not the key issue, it is the amount that is consumed and the manner in which it is produced. This is where India differs. Recently at the release of our book First Food: Culture of Taste, which discusses the link between biodiversity, nutrition and livelihoods, I was asked a question. “Why do you not, as an environmentalist espousing the cause of traditional and local diets that...
More »The long list of Aadhaar linked schemes -K Deepalakshmi
-The Hindu The UID number, popularly known as Aadhaar, was envisaged as an end to fake or multiple identities The UID number, popularly known as Aadhaar, was envisaged as an end to fake or multiple identities. However, the ambitious scheme has been facing controversies and successive governments have been silent on questions on the security of personal data collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). A Constitution Bench of the...
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