Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Agriculture sector credit stagnates, bad loans surge over 40%: RBIedit
The share of distressed agriculture sector in non-food credit offtake has remained stagnant and the banks’ exposure declined even as non-performing assets in the sector zoomed by over 40 per cent as of September 2018, a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report has said.
Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan Scheme Awaits Approvaledit
As per the information was given by Minister of State for Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Parshottam Rupala in Lok Sabha today,‘Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Maha Abhiyan (KUSUM) scheme is currently under the process of seeking approval.
Low inflation rates and dipping food prices: Where do they leave the farmeredit
The dip in retail inflation to a 19-month low, as reported by the Union government on February 12, 2019, once again underscores the agrarian crisis in the country. The middle class may be worried about rising prices, but four items that can be traced back to farms showed deflation, while inflation in a few others was negligible in January.
Bank credit grows 14.5%, deposits up 9.63%edit
Both bank credit as well as deposits growth marginally declined on a fortnightly basis, clipping at 14.5 percent at Rs 94.29 lakh crore deposits grew at a tepid 9.63 percent to Rs 121.22 lakh crore for the fortnight ending February 1, according to the latest RBI data.
15 states yet to use funds of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojanaedit
A staggering Rs 1,950 crore, which is three quarters of the total funds under India’s flagship agriculture scheme the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana-Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sector Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR), remains unutilised. The scheme aims at creating robust pre- and post-harvest infrastructure.
Can Andhra Pradesh’s ambitious plan to stop the use of chemicals in farms succeed?edit
V Chandrasekhar Reddy, a farmer in Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district, has been reaping rich dividends since moving away from conventional farming. For the past four years, he has been using traditional seeds on his 11-acre farm. He has replaced chemical fertilisers and pesticides with those made from waste generated by cattle and other locally available material.
Budget
Budget allocation for agriculture has risen 144% – but much more is needed to address farm crisisedit
Agriculture has got an unprecedented 144% rise in allocation in the interim budget announced by the Bharatiya Janata Party government – from Rs 57,600 crore in the 2018-’19 budget estimates to Rs 1,40,764 crore in the interim budget.
Life of Labour: Faulty Budget for Farmers; India’s Very Real Unemployment Crisisedit
Farmers various media outlets spoke to have either described the government’s flagship income support scheme as “a good start” at best or “useless” at worst. These moves come after hundreds of thousands of farmers marched to Delhi in a landmark event. The fact that the government isn’t able to respond appropriately even after such a clear demand by farmers has been made shows that they are clearly incapable of adequately handling the agricultural crisis.