According to agriculture experts, the young and educated farmers of Rajasthan are experimenting and abandoning the traditional crops in their fields
Bayer CropScience on Wednesday said it has tied up with the government's Common Service Center (CSC) and agri-tech firm Gram Unnati to facilitate last-mile delivery of agri-inputs to smallholder farmers in India. As part of the memorandum of agreement, smallholder farmers will be able to access timely crop advisory, transfer of good agricultural practices and access to premium Bayer products through CSC's online portal. Gram Unnati will facilitate farmer mobilization and ensure market linkages. In the first phase, the partnership will support farmers in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, it said in a statement. The CSC scheme, a collaborative e-governance platform, is part of the Digital India programme. The Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) aims to facilitate the delivery of government, private and social sector services to Indian citizens through the CSC network. It supports linkages, connecting villages in India through high-speed internet and scaling the
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Tuesday demanded action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his comments at a rally in Rajasthan and sought a ban on him from contesting elections. In a statement issued here, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which had led the farmers' protests of 2020-21, said the speech made by the prime minister in Rajasthan's Banswara was "highly provocative". It also appealed to all sections of people to maintain peace against any provocation. "SKM demands prosecution of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for highly poisonous hate speech against a particular community thus, violating the respective laws for national unity and imposing a ban on him for six years from contesting election," it said. "He must be removed from the post of prime minister with immediate effect otherwise the country will face a constitutional crisis of a law-breaker holding one of the highest constitutional posts," the statement further said. It added that the "provocative speech" is aimed at
In her testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee Hearing on the President's 2024 Trade Policy Agenda, Tai mentioned that India and the US resolved the final outstanding WTO dispute
Farmers do not trust the BJP's 2024 Lok Sabha poll manifesto, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said as he alleged that the party's government at the Centre is working at the behest of capitalists. India is being seen as a source of cheap labour and the control of corporates over the government has grown, he said, while asking farmer organisations to be strong to deal with issues and achieve their goals. "It is a gang of capitalists that has captured the political party," the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader said when asked about the manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in an interview with PTI. "We do not trust the manifesto. In 2014 as well, the manifesto said they would implement the Swaminathan Committee's recommendations. It has been 10 years now and the recommendations have not been implemented," he said. They are trying to fool the people, Tikait claimed and added that "they are using the A2+FL formula and stating that 'we have implemented the recommendations'". The A2
Asserting that farmers are disillusioned with all political parties, prominent farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Tuesday said people should follow their conscience by voting for the right candidates in the Lok Sabha elections. Refusing to extend open support to any political party, Tikait said he won't even tell his wife whom to vote for when the model code of conduct is in place but those who know him already know which party or candidate is good for farmers. In an exclusive interaction with PTI, Tikait, one of the key faces of the 2020-21 farmers' protest against the now-scrapped three agri laws, also claimed that people are not voting for the BJP but the party may still win as he alleged manipulation in the process. He claimed that today's BJP is no more just a political party and it has become a front for rich industrialists who are out to grab farmers' lands. Farmers ka moh-bhang ho gaya hai, lekin wo hataash nahin hain (Farmers are disillusioned but they have not lost ...
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said loans of farmers will be waived if his party comes to power at the Centre. Addressing a rally in Sakoli in Maharashtra's Bhandara district, he said the main issues plaguing the people of the country were unemployment and inflation, though these were ignored by the media. "Loans of farmers will be waived if the Congress comes to power. People are distressed due to unemployment and inflation. The situation is such that people earning just thousands and those making crores are paying the same GST," he said while attacking the NDA government at the Centre. Gandhi said his party would conduct a caste census after attaining power since it is important for the future of the country. Slamming the Centre's Agnipath programme, in which soldiers called 'Agniveers' are recruited for four years, Gandhi said it would be scrapped since "the Army was not in its favour". Attacking Modi, he said the prime minister, who calls himself an OBC, must tell ..
Over 47 per cent of small farmers got higher rice yields through the direct seeded method, shows study
Farmers to transact through CBDC-R for inputs, first use case of programmability starts today
The yield increases were realised using innovative farming practices and advanced technology
The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is a "complete failure" and has been used to "fatten" the private insurance companies. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh's attack on the government came over a media report which claimed that in the heartland of Marathwada, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna --? the Modi government's flagship crop insurance scheme -- has emerged as the "new political tool". The report said increased interference in the scheme's implementation has given rise to cases of major fraud in Maharashtra. In a post on X, Ramesh said, "As the Congress Party has been saying all along, the PM Fasal Bima Yojana is a complete failure, and has been used to fatten the private insurance companies." "The remote-controlled BJP government in Maharashtra has been using it as a political tool as well -- releasing payments primarily to its political supporters," he alleged. The Congress' 'Kisaan NYAY' guarantees include a promise that a
Crossing some of India's most destitute districts, it's apparent that the reasons for Modi's success are varied. Many appreciate the ruling party's income support schemes
Commuters used to face major traffic congestion owing to the barricades. The Delhi Police is removing them so that the road can be accessible for commuters
Three of four millet-growing farmers in Uttarakhand have seen a 10-20 per cent increase in their annual income owing to the push to millet farming by the Centre and state government, according to a study by the Indian Institute of Management, Kashipur. However, the study -- conducted on more than 2,100 farmers -- found that many of them are still not aware of the increased demand for millet-based products, and are still growing it on a smaller scale for personal consumption only. Greater awareness among millet growers about an increased market demand for their crop could help more and more of them to increase their income, it said. The declaration of 2023 as the International Millet Year has played a crucial role in raising awareness about millet as a sustainable crop worldwide and increased the demand for millet-based products both nationally and globally, the study on "Millet Production in Uttarakhand: An Empirical Analysis of its Socio-Economic Impact and Marketability Challenges
He said that Prime Minister Modi will not break his silence on why, on the one hand, the government waives the loans of the industrialists but is not doing so with the farmers' loans
Darshan Pal, SKM leader said that ever since they first came to Delhi (in 2020 Kisan Andolan), they have expanded their network. "We have made laws for how we have to work," he said
The lack of data on cultivators and their income from other sources has become a hindrance in determining whether farmers' income has actually doubled or not, Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand said, pointing out that they are earning more from non-agricultural sources. The Niti Aayog member further said that prices of agricultural commodities can not be fixed by a law as it has serious implications, which are neither in the interest of the agriculture sector nor individual farmers. "The government had fixed the goal of doubling farmers' income so that we make more efforts. There is a need for this assessment, where we are in terms of this goal. (But) the required data is not available with us," Chand told PTI in an interview. In 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government set a highly ambitious target of doubling farmers' incomes by 2022. An inter-ministerial committee on "Doubling of Farmers' Income" was set up in April 2016 to recommend strategies to achieve this goal. The ..
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday launched 'Krishak Unnati Yojna' to provide input assistance to farmers and released Rs 13,320 crore to 24.72 lakh cultivators. The scheme was launched at a function at Saryu Prasad Agrawal stadium in Balod district. Speaking on the occasion, Sai said another guarantee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been fulfilled with the launch of this scheme. Input assistance worth Rs 13,320 crore was transferred to the bank accounts of 24.75 lakh farmers under the Krishak Unnati Yojana, he said. Of these cultivators, 24.72 lakh sold paddy this year in the kharif marketing season 2023-24 at minimum support price, and they were paid the difference amount of Rs 13,289 crore, the chief minister said. Similarly, more than Rs 31 crore was paid to 2,829 farmers producing paddy seeds through the seed corporation, he said. "The state government fulfilled its promise to farmers, by disbursing pending paddy bonus of two years (2014-15 and 2015-16
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Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday said 3,483 violence-hit farmers in the state have been selected for the "first phase of compensatory crop package". During the launch of the programme, Singh said, "In all, 3,483 have been selected as beneficiaries after verification by deputy commissioners. Another 2,399 have issues related with documents including Aadhar authentication and bank documents and have been sent for reverification by the DCs concerned." "The Centre has also allotted Rs 38.60 crore for the affected farmers out of which Rs 18.37 crore has been released for the first phase" Singh said. Churachandpur district has 1,137 affected farmers followed by Bishnupur (1,031), Imphal East (360) and Kangpokpi (272), he added.