-IANS Chandigarh: The Punjab government on Wednesday announced rewards to districts and villages across the state which curb the unhealthy practice of burning stubble (residue of harvested crops). "The Punjab government has announced an incentive for each district and village with a financial grant of Rs.1 crore and Rs.1 lakh respectively, which were free from the burning of stubble," a state government spokesman said here. "This decision has been taken to curb the...

-PTI New Delhi: Under fire from the Opposition on the Land ordinance, government today said it is considering a number of representations from stakeholders expressing concerns on the interests of the Farmers on the provisions of the law. Defending the ordinance to amend the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Act, 2013, Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda told Lok Sabha that many state governments and...

-Press Information Bureau/ Ministry of Finance Economic Outlook, Prospects and Policy Challenges Macroeconomic fundamentals in 2014-15 have dramatically improved. Highlights are: * Inflation has declined by over 6 percentage points since late 2013. * The current account deficit has declined from a peak of 6.7 percent of GDP (in Q3, 2012-13) to an estimated 1.0 percent in the coming fiscal year. * Foreign portfolio flows have stabilized the rupee, exerting downward pressure on long-term interest...

-Hindustan Times Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday his government would not stop the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme as it was a "living reminder" of the previous UPA government's "failures". Replying to the motion of thanks on the president's address in the Lok Sabha, the prime minister said: "Sometimes people ask whether MGNREGA would be discontinued." Modi quipped though the Opposition might say he does not understand some issues, they...

-The Huffington Post Going by the number of Farmers, Indian agriculture is the nation's largest private enterprise. And also the only one lacking free markets. So it is hardly surprising that half of India's population, since it depends on agriculture, contributes only 15% of the country's income. The shocking waste of entrepreneurial energy, time and resources of 263 million Farmers and laborers has kept rural families in poverty, accelerated urban migration...