-The Indian Express   Reserve Bank of India Governor D Subbarao on Tuesday cautioned that policies — the significant increase in rural wages triggered by the MGNREGS and inflationary implications of the proposed Food Security Bill — aimed at inclusive growth can stoke inflationary pressures at any rate in the short-term. “The need for making growth inclusive is incontestable, but it is important to recognise that policies aimed at inclusion can stoke inflationary...

-The Economic Times   Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, D Subbarao said on Tuesday that India's food inflation was fanned by change in dietary habits. Commenting on high inflation, Subbarao said that underlying drivers of inflation have changed.  "India needs to address challenge of food inflation. Food inflation has substantially come down but over the last 3.5 years since 2008-2009, average food inflation has shot up higher than the past 6...

The state has done precious little to improve the lot of agriculture workers. Agricultural wage workers (AWW) earn their livelihood by working for wages in the agriculture sector. In India, AWWs are the second largest group of all workers, after owner-cultivators or farmers. Of the workforce of 402 million, AWWs are at least 110 million. Wage work in the agriculture sector has always been considered a low-status occupation in India, as agriculture...

Village studies are a treasure trove of information on economic and social changes A noteworthy feature of research on Indian agriculture is the resurgence of interest in village studies. Such studies – that include resurveys of villages studied earlier – provide insights into the livelihood prospects of the majority of people who continue to work in the countryside. They are an important mode of research to understand agrarian relations that often...

Safar Ali Mollah, 18, a paddy farmer, committed suicide by drinking pesticide at Kalitikuri village under Bhatar police station area on Friday night. Only three days ago, Bhabani Porel (45), paddy farmer of Chanduli village under Burdwan Sadar Police Station area committed suicide by hanging from a tree. Safar was unable to sell paddy crop at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) stipulated by the state government which landed him in a...