Brings 25 million farmers under concessional loan scheme; experts say these measures do nothing to address basic problem of low farm prices and falling demand
Awasthi reiterated that Chief Minister Adityanath had issued directives to treat these migrants with full dignity and has sought strict action in cases of misbehaviour
The chief minister interacts with district administration officials of Saharanpur, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Kannauj and Hardoi districts through video conference
While they provide a social security for India's poor and destitute, all three have undergone significant changes for better or worse, under the NDA regime
Starvation deaths post-Covid are likely to gallop in India's most vulnerable states unless the Centre steps in
Significantly expanding the budget for the rural employment guarantee scheme is vital, but so is exploring other forms of job creation
Labour shortage puts record rabi harvest at risk
Govt's silence on economic package is surprising
Experts say unless the implementation is monitored properly at the ground level, much of the easing out could just remain on paper
Set economic growth aside, intensify redistribution
Following is Sonia Gandhi's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Would we in the upper class place ourselves in the hands of the government in times such as these? And if not, why do we expect that the poor would? The Indian state is weak and lacks capacity
One even went to the extent of suggesting the title "Uttar Pradesh bana hatya pradesh (Uttar Pradesh becomes a land of murders)".
The government should have increased allocations to the MGNREGA, PM-KISAN and rural infrastructure to raise incomes in rural areas
Though MGNREGA and PM-Kisan have clear rural focus, they think excess public spending should only be on capex
To boost rural income, the government could raise the total MGNREGA Budget for 2020-21 to Rs 70,000 crore. In 2019-20 (FY20), it was Rs 60,000 crore
Almost all states have raised much more debt than at the same time last year, except Maharashtra.
This is to push liquidity into rural hands to kick-start consumption cycle
Young people opting for MGNREGA work is worrying
Says cutback in funds will adversely affect inter-state connectivity, hails enhanced allocation for rail projects