-Deccan Herald One must not make the mistake of thinking that high food prices are good for farmers The world has been facing a food crisis of a magnitude that has not been seen for many decades. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that “the number of people facing acute food insecurity and requiring urgent life-saving food assistance and livelihood support continues to grow at an...

-TheWire.in Her writings are indispensable for anyone interested in learning about the history of agrarian change and labour in modern India. Professor Sheila Bhalla, professor emerita at the School of Social Sciences, JNU, a respected teacher, a labour economist of repute and a committed activist, passed away in Puducherry on September 5. Canadian by birth, she was introduced to trade union activities early in her life by her father. She studied at the...

-Newsclick.in Conducted by the Delhi unit of the CPI(M) in the first two weeks of June this year, the survey reinforced the demand for schemes involving cash transfer and guaranteed employment in the national capital. A survey of the working masses in Delhi, conducted in the aftermath of the second COVID-19 wave earlier this year, has painted a stark picture of its impact on resident’s livelihoods, thereby reinforcing the demand for schemes...

-Society for Social and Economic Research The economic reforms which were started in 1991 shifted the focus of fertilizer policies away from playing a leading role in building the fertilizer industry and ensuring the availability of fertilizers at affordable prices to farmers. Under the neo-liberal policy framework, reducing the fiscal burden of fertilizer subsidies and the foreign exchange burden of fertilizer-related imports became the overriding concerns of the state.  Interestingly, the post-liberalisation...

-Vikalp.ind.in While the country is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy is in doldrums, the central government, instead of taking measures to provide immediate relief to the distressed population, has used the opportunity to introduce sweeping changes in the regulatory framework of the agricultural marketing system of the country. On June 3, 2020, the Cabinet approved three ordinances. These ordinances were converted into Acts after they were passed, under...