The Wire   The Times of India  CNBC TV18

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Mandhan pension scheme for small and marginal farmers (whose land holding is upto two hectares) while speaking in Ranchi in poll-bound Jharkhand. Farmers who are currently between the ages of 18 and 40 can enrol in the scheme and are required to make monthly contributions varying from Rs 55 to Rs 200. The government estimates that 5 crore farmers will be eligible to benefit from the scheme. The Centre will make a contribution to the fund of the same amount as the farmer.

The Times of India

Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday warned the farmers of the grim scenario unfolding due to global climate change and suggested them to go for change in the present cropping pattern. “Farmers should adopt cropping pattern keeping in mind climate change for increased yield and profits,” the CM said at a meeting to review the current state of the state’s agriculture economy. Noting that the agriculture economy and profitability of farmers depend on the increased production of various crops, the CM also said that the state has been beset with the problem of low rainfall, which had adversely affected agricultural production, both of cereal and cash crops.

The Hans India

Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said on Thursday the officials would distribute 5,200 metric tonnes of urea to the farmers from Friday. The Minister along with State Agriculture Secretary C Parthasarathi and other officials visited Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram ports in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday to review the operations to speed up transportation of urea to the State.

Nagaland Post   Northeast Now

Nagaland agriculture minister G Kaito Aye launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojna (PM-KMY) — pension scheme for farmers — in the conference hall of the directorate of agriculture here Thursday. The scheme which was launched Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday at Ranchi, the Capital of Jharkhand would secure the lives of 5 crore small and marginal farmers by providing a minimum pension of Rs 3000 per month, to those who attain 60 years of age.

The Week

CropLife India, an association of 18 R&D driven crop science companies, today, organized an awareness program for Crop protection products Dealers and students of Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services for Input Dealers (DAESI) course throughout the State of West Bengal. The awareness program was organized jointly with Agriculture Department and State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI) Government of West Bengal across 20 Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Agriculture Training Centres (ATC), SCTC and University in the mid- Kharif season, when agri-input dealers and farmers are maximally associated with different agro-chemicals.