India.com – Online

Rs 49,965 crore has been transferred directly into farmers’ account across India under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) programme. Around 18.3 Crore portability transactions under One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) were made during the Covid-19 period of April, 2020 to April 2021, the Central Government said today.

Meanwhile, around 34 states or UTs have lifted more than 15 Lakh MT of food grains from FCI depots for the month of May 2021 under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY-3). Over 1 Lakh MT of food grains distributed to over 2 Crore beneficiaries by 12 states or UTs so far under PMGKAY-3. All total 26.3 Crore portability transactions have been recorded since inception of ONORC scheme, the ...

Mint – Online

In 2015, the first Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central government unveiled an ambitious reform to overhaul India’s land acquisition laws that would have enabled corporations easier access to land across the country. But faced with intense protests from Opposition parties, the changes were rolled back.

The Times of India – Online

Procurement of paddy has been badly hit due to Covid-19 and unseasonal rains in Telangana. Against a target of procuring over 80 lakh metric tonnes of paddy this season, only 25 lakh MTs have been purchased from the farmers so far. The procurement has slowed down as several staff and procurement centres were infected with Covid-19.

 Even the rice mills are not accepting paddy from the procurement centres as a large number of workers for loading and unloading of paddy have not returned from Bihar and other states in view of the surge.

Qrius – Online

In what is believed to be the biggest protest in history, in late November 2020 farmers from across India drove 200,000 trolleys and tractors towards Delhi’s borders in a mass protest against agricultural reforms. This was followed a few days later by a general strike involving 250 million people in both urban and rural areas of India as workers joined together to support the farmers.

The strike continues, despite the global public health crisis, which is hitting India harder than any other country in the world. Fear of COVID-19 has not deterred farmers, who have emphatically stated that regardless of whether they contract the virus, the “black laws” will kill them anyway.

Orissa Diary – Online

Keeping in view the huge potential and role of the horticulture sector in increasing farmer’s income, the Government of India has allocated Rs. 2250 Crore for development of horticulture sector during 2021-22.

To further promote and for holistic growth of the horticulture sector in the country, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has provided an enhanced allocation of Rs. 2250 Crore for the year 2021-22 for ‘Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture’ (MIDH), a centrally sponsored scheme. The Ministry is implementing MIDH with effect from 2014-15, for realizing the potential of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew and cocoa. The allocation is significantly higher ...

The Better India -Online

In 2018, S Venkateswara Reddy from Hyderabad retired as a banker from the State Bank of India. As he relieved himself from the first innings of life, he planned to try his second stint with farming. But things didn’t turn out to be as easy as they seemed.

Venkateswara returned to ancestral land in Mallepalle village, only to find that the prospects looked bleak. The Ville fell in the Rayalaseema region, a drought-affected region of Andhra Pradesh.

“I had decided to grow vegetables and other crops on the 10-acre land. But when I reached the village and spoke to the farmers about procuring resources, I faced a massive challenge. The villagers informed that there had been ...