Rural Economy

The Centre on Saturday published draft rules under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VBG RAM G) for public consultation, following the notification of the law's implementation across all states and Union Territories from July 1. Framed under Section 33 and other relevant provisions of the Act, the draft rules have been placed in the public domain to facilitate wider stakeholder consultation before they are finalised. The proposed rules cover transitional provisions, the National Level Steering Committee, the Central Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council, administrative expenses, grievance redressal, payment of wages and unemployment allowance, and expenditure incurred in excess of normative allocations, including expenses for Union Territories without legislatures. Officials in the Ministry of Rural Development said the rules are aimed at establishing the institutional, administrative, financial, and governance framework for implementation of

The Centre has notified the VB-G RAM G Act, replacing MGNREGA from July 1, 2026, with a 125 day rural employment guarantee and expanded infrastructure creation mandate

India has improved access to safe drinking water, but one in four people still lack reliable supply, with rural areas and groundwater dependence a key concern

Centre clarifies scheme to continue till VB-GRAMIN is rolled out

IMD flags a 31 per cent probability of "below normal" monsoon and a 35 per cent chance of rainfall below 90 per cent of LPA-risks for agriculture, heatwaves, and demand

Chouhan also said that the Opposition's protest against VB G RAM G has failed to garner any public support because the country has accepted it as a better scheme than its previous version (MGNREGA)

High spectrum costs and legacy liabilities are squeezing telecom cash flows, prompting the industry to seek policy stability and recognition as critical national infrastructure

As the Centre pushes VB-G RAM G to replace MGNREGA, the BJP and Congress lock horns over federalism, funding burdens and the future of rural jobs

GST rate cuts and welfare transfers lifted consumption, but falling crop prices clouded farm incomes

Lower crop prices and weak nominal farm growth weighed on rural incomes in 2025, but GST cuts, welfare support, and rising consumption helped stabilise demand and sentiment

Today's wrap looks at the new rural jobs law, the push to open civil nuclear power to private investors, a US strategic reset, RBI's views on bank ownership, and a book on American power

The state has achieved a 98 per cent bank loan approval rate under the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, the highest in the country

The latest Annual Survey of Industries 2023-24 shows that it was at 49.5 per cent, the fourth year in a row that urban areas have been a minority contributor to manufacturing output

The enterprises will take shape in the hinterland with the Yogi Adityanath government offering training, credit and marketing support across 75 districts

Consumption growth in India's countryside has outpaced that in urban markets for six straight quarters, according to data analytics firm NielsenIQ

Retail inflation for farm workers eased to 3.73 per cent in March 2025, as compared to 4.05 per cent in February this year, as per latest data released on Wednesday. For rural workers retail inflation eased to 3.86 per cent in March 2025, as against 4.10 per cent in February this year, according to official data. The All-India Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) and Rural Labourers (CPI-RL) decreased by 3 points and 2 points, for the month of March 2025, falling to 1,306 and 1,319 points, respectively, a labour ministry statement said. The CPI-AL and CPI-RL were at 1,309 points and 1,321 points respectively in February 2025. "The year-on-year inflation rates based on CPI-AL and CPI-RL for March 2025 were recorded at 3.73 per cent and 3.86 per cent, respectively, compared to 7.15 per cent and 7.08 per cent in March 2024. The corresponding figures for February 2025 stood at 4.05 per cent for CPI-AL and 4.10 per cent for CPI-RL," it stated.

India needs stronger veterinary infrastructure and skills to support its rural economy, Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying S P Singh Baghel said on Saturday. Speaking at a national workshop marking World Veterinary Day, Baghel called veterinarians "the backbone of the rural economy" and stressed the need for collaboration among veterinary professionals, scientists and public health experts to ensure integrated health approaches, an official statement said. India houses over 536 million livestock, the world's largest population, with nearly 70 per cent of rural households depending on animals for income, food and security, he said. Baghel highlighted the importance of indigenous livestock breeds, which are adapted to local climate conditions and crucial for sustainable production systems. He advocated for advanced reproductive technologies, particularly sex-sorted semen and in vitro fertilization (IVF), to enhance productivity. The minister praised

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday emphasised the need to increase agriculture growth rate and purchasing power in rural India to prevent migration of rural youth to cities. Addressing an event here, Gadkari said currently the government's minimum support prices for agriculture crops are way higher then commercial market prices. "If agriculture growth rate increases then rural youth will not be forced migrate to metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai for livelihood," he said. According to him, the growth rate in agriculture will lead to increase in purchasing power of rural population. Gadkari also emphasised the need for more intensive use of bamboo resources in the country, saying bamboo can create employment opportunities and contribute to rural development. He pointed out that the use of bamboo in the energy sector will help India in reducing import of fossils fuels. Gadkari said bamboo has the potential to be used as an alternative to coal and ca

Rural market growth continued to outpace that from the urban market for the FMCG industry in the March quarter, and margins remained under pressure as prices of some key commodity inputs remained at peak levels, according to business updates by leading players. Besides, on the channel side, traditional trade (Kirana shops) continued to be under pressure, while modern trade channels, e-Commerce and Quick commerce maintained their growth momentum, said listed FMCG companies like Dabur, Marico and AWL Agri Business (formerly Adani Wilmar) in their quarterly updates. The persistent food inflation continues to impact demand in the urban market, which contributes nearly two-thirds of the total FMCG sales. However, FMCG companies are hopeful of a profitable growth in FY'26 despite the current headwind, banking on factors which include moderating retail and food inflation as well as forecasts of a normal monsoon. Homegrown FMCG firm Dabur, in its quarterly update for the fourth quarter of

Time spent by women on 'learning' remained unchanged at 84 minutes during five years, while the time spent by men declined to 94 minutes from 102 minutes