The Finance Commission said it will look into all the recommendations made by the panel for finalising its own report to the Central government for revenue sharing with states for the five years from FY22 to FY26 Private sector players should be roped in for anchoring specific schemes to scale up farm exports from India […]
Tag Archives: PMO India
Water crisis is becoming a problem for Centre
Although Modi’s BJP dominates parliament after a big win in last year’s election, he needs to tread a fine balance between shifting to less water-intensive crops and ensuring his government produces enough food to feed the poor. On a scorching summer day in northern India, Ajay Singh sat next to his water pump and scanned his 10 […]
State intervention is needed to make farming economically and ecologically viable
Instead of further liberalisation of agriculture, state intervention for better pricing, investments in water harvesting and an agroecological transition could ensure a more resilient system to weather shocks like the current one. In rural India, the COVID-related economic crisis should be addressed as a priority, not only because of its social dimension but also because […]
Prometheus Unbound: India Must Look to the Farmer for Way Forward
The low-intensive and high-potential agriculture sector should be the country’s best bet to recover from the economic losses caused by the coronavirus and subsequent lockdowns. In his recent nationally televised speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly thanked the Indian farmer and the taxpayer in the same breath. The farmers though wear both hats as they […]
Farmers using cash scheme well: Study
The study found that beneficiaries were diverse and there was no “statistical evidence” of any bias in selection of farmers on the basis of caste, community or faith. A study of the impact of PM-KISAN, the Modi government’s income transfer scheme for farmers, has found that poor cultivators don’t squander the free money they receive, […]
Sowing growth: Incentivising agri-reforms in the states
Incentivising states for better performance in the agriculture sector with a transparent implementation and monitoring system is important. The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FC-XV) has, in its interim report for the year 2020-21, recommended implementation of a specific set of agricultural reforms by the states for liberalising agricultural markets, provide for seamless trading and catalyse private […]
Water in agriculture: Revisiting priorities in times of COVID-19
Currently, 600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress and about 2,00,000 people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water. In the current environment, it is near impossible to look at any sector or scenario without applying the COVID lens. The scale of the problem as well as lessons from nations […]
Aatmanirbhar in agriculture will require incentives for export of high-value agri-produce
On the agri-imports front, the biggest item is edible oils — worth about $10 billion (more than 15 mt). This is where there is a need to create “aatma nirbharta”, not by levying high import duties, but by creating a competitive advantage through augmenting productivity and increasing the recovery ratio of oil from oilseeds. With […]
At India’s groundnut-cotton bowl, little excitement over Centre’s APMC reforms
The Gujarat government amended its APMC Act of 1963 in line with the Centre’s Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Ordinance nearly a month before the latter’s promulgation on June 5. Mombhai Japda watches labourers weighing his 50 quintals of groundnut under a giant shed at the APMC (agricultural produce market committee) yard […]
Aatmanirbhar in agriculture will require incentives for export of high-value agri-produce
On the agri-imports front, the biggest item is edible oils — worth about $10 billion (more than 15 mt). This is where there is a need to create “aatma nirbharta”, not by levying high import duties, but by creating a competitive advantage through augmenting productivity and increasing the recovery ratio of oil from oilseeds. With […]