The Hindu Business Line

The unremitting wave of farmer suicides has resurfaced, now haunting the farming heartlands of Tamil Nadu. Troubled by a severely deficit monsoon which triggered the worst drought in 140 years, over 100 farmers, mostly in the Cauvery delta, have reportedly committed suicide during a period of one month, and the number continues to rise unabated.

The Asian Age

Agriculture, infrastructure and service sectors are also expected to get due attention and support.” Marico too is looking for a Budget in which the government would focus on boosting the rural sector and agricultural productivity besides providing benefits to the salaried taxpayers in order to increase disposable income in the urban markets, which would drive consumption.

The Wire

A majority of Singh’s agricultural holdings is situated outside the barbed wire fence that the BSF erected in the late 1980s to keep a check on the infiltration of terrorists and arm smuggling. The distance from the border to the fence is anywhere between half to three kilometres. Since the area in between is controlled by the BSF, it has adversely affected the livelihoods of many residents of these border villages whose agricultural holdings lie in this no man’s land.