The Times of India

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has projected a credit potential of Rs 1.94 lakh core for priority sector lending by banks in Rajasthan in 2019-20 which is 19% higher than the plan fixed at Rs 1.63 lakh crore in 2018-19. At the release of the state focus paper for the next financial year, chief general manager of Nabard Suresh Chand said, “Investment credit continues to be the top priority for the policy makers and banks in view of its role as the precursor for capital formation in agriculture. Credit potential of Rs 42,325 crore has been assessed for agricultural term loans, agriculture infrastructure and ancillary activities which accounts for 31% of the ...

Mint

The sharp hike in minimum support prices (MSPs) last year was expected to lift rural income and revive the agriculture sector. However, the sector has remained in duress, causing the government to now resort to a minimum income support for farmer households through direct cash transfers. But, as with earlier policy interventions, the latest dole-out may also do little to address ...

The Indian Express

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi — which is synonymous with the Green Revolution and has given the country blockbuster varieties such as Kalyansona and HD-2967 wheat, Pusa-1121 basmati paddy, Pusa Bold mustard and Pusa Sawani okra — has been without a full-time head for over three years now. More than 60 out of the 100-plus institutes under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), including the National Dairy Research Institute in Karnal and the Central Institute of Cotton Research at Nagpur, are functioning with “acting directors”. Even at the ICAR headquarters, the current deputy director-generals of the crop science, animal science and natural resource management divisions are holding “additional charge”. On top ...

Business Standard

The second advance estimates of national income for the current financial year that were recently released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) made a sobering read. For 2018-19, the overall growth of gross domestic product (GDP) has been pegged at 7 per cent compared to 7.2 per cent in the first advance estimates.

The New Indian Express

The government has allocated more than 30 per cent funds under various schemes in order to bring women in the agriculture mainstream, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Thursday. A special emphasis has been given on the role and contribution of women in doubling the income of farmers by 2022, he said on the ...

CNBC TV 18

Uttar Pradesh leads in taking benefit of the government’s ambitious Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, according to agriculture ministry data accessed by CNBC-TV18. Out of the 2.18 crore small and marginal farmers who have received payments under PM-KISAN as on March 7, a massive 74.71 lakh farmers are in Uttar Pradesh.

News 18

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Wednesday kickstarted an initiative ‘Kisan Ki Mann Ki Baat’ to take suggestions from farmers to improve the farm sector in the next five years.

Down To Earth

Farm distress and farmer unrest continues in Punjab unabated. This is despite the Captain Amarinder Singh-led state government claiming to have disbursing loan waivers of Rs 4,736 crore, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi directing the Union government to transfer the first installment of Rs 6,000 annual financial assistance for farmers, as announced in the 2019 interim budget.

Krishijagran

Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh on 6th March 2019 kick-started an initiative known as ‘Kisan Ki Mann Ki Baat’ in order to take suggestions from the cultivators to improve the agriculture sector in the next five years.

The Times of India

To streamline the process of organic farming and marketing of organic products in the state, the directorate of seed and organic certification under the department of agriculture has submitted a proposal to the state government last week to set up organic certification centres in all districts

The New Indian Express

At a time when the Government is busy announcing sops for farmers across the State, agriculture infrastructure in Rourkela is in shambles. Most facilities including a mega wholesale market yard are either lying unutilised or incomplete. In February 2014, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid foundation stone for a market yard at Balughat along the NH-143. The `98.45 crore project has been halted since February last year as the National Commission for Scheduled Tribe (NCST) objected to the use of  the land.

Down To Earth

Jharkhand is drought hit. In November 2018, the state government declared 18 out of its 24 districts as drought-affected. While 93 blocks were severely affected, 36 were told to be moderately drought-affected. As per weather experts, seven districts, namely Koderma, Bokaro, Chatra, Deoghar, Garhwa, Khunti and Pakur recorded rain shortages of 40 per cent and above in the 2018 monsoon. Koderma and Pakur received 55 per cent less rains than its normal monsoon quota. East Singbhum and Latehar were the two districts to have received excess rains of 14 and 2 per cent above its normal monsoon average.

The Economic Times

Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said the government has transferred the first instalment of Rs 2,000 under the PM-KISAN scheme to over 20 million farmers across the country. He said the farming community on ground is doing much better than what data suggests.

The Times of India

Thomas Jefferson once said very profoundly that “agriculture is the wisest pursuit, because in the end, it will contribute the most to real wealth, good morals and happiness.” Sadly, in our country, this sector is yet to envisage the fullness of this quotation even after 72 years of independence and centuries of farming history behind us.