S Mahendra Dev

Budget 2026-27 strengthens agriculture, MSMEs and rural infrastructure, positioning villages, Tier-II and Tier-III towns at the heart of India's Viksit Bharat vision

A Nabard survey shows a sharp rise in the share of agricultural households in the rural sector with the numbers shooting up from 48 per cent in 2016-17 to 56.7 per cent in 2021-22

India spends only 0.4% of agri GDP on R&D and it is far below the levels in China, Brazil, and Israel

Since it is an Interim Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not make any big announcements nor did she increase allocations for welfare schemes in an election year

There is a need to reduce stress in agriculture and increase demand to ensure sustainable growth

The scientist appealed farmers not to harm long-term production potential for short-term gains

The resilience of Indian agriculture to weather shocks has strengthened, but mitigating risks requires careful policy response

By focusing on measures that make financial services available to households and small and medium enterprises, G20 has the potential to make a real difference in people's lives

Weak rural demand has been a concern for fast-moving consumer goods and other consumer durables, although we see a few green shoots now

He was an excellent analytical economist and his is a great loss to the profession of economics vis-a-vis research and policy, writes S Mahendra Dev

India's chances of becoming a stable supplier of wheat are limited in the absence of a long-term policy on foodgrain exports

The expenditure for total rural development schemes declined from Rs 2.16 trillion in FY21 to Rs 1.95 trillion in FY22.

In order to obtain 7 per cent growth, among other things, India has to tackle the stagnation in exports and the next Budget can make a beginning

Although there are some structural issues, the economy is slowing largely due to cyclical factors

The measures particularly in agriculture may not be enough to revive the sector and double the farm income

The finance minister has not disappointed in focusing on rural India, despite several fiscal challenges in 2016-17