Rural Income

Did MGNREGA act as safety net for casual labour during sowing, harvest?

Civil society groups say the VB-G RAM G Bill could weaken casual labour's bargaining power, as MGNREGA served as a safety net and fall back option when farm wages turned unattractive

Increase agricultural credit to meet rural India's demands: FM to banks

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged rural banks to increase agricultural credit disbursement to meet the growing demand of new rural India, while reviewing the business performance of Karnataka Grameena Bank (KaGB) here. According to an official statement, Sitharaman chaired the meeting, attended by Department of Financial Services (DFS) Secretary M Nagaraju, NABARD Chairman Shaji K V, and other senior officials from the finance ministry on Thursday. During the review, Sitharaman assessed key indicators, including credit growth, NPAs (Non-Performing Assets), financial inclusion, and the implementation of government-sponsored schemes by KaGB. She advised the bank to increase its share in ground-level agriculture credit disbursement, with special focus on emerging areas of the economy. Sitharaman also directed all stakeholders to take steps to realise the potential of allied agricultural activities in the region. KaGB and Canara Bank should work closely with state ..

Trump tariff risks cast shadow on rural income outlook: Nabard survey

In July, the same survey showed that almost 75 per cent of rural households expected their incomes to rise in the next one year, which has now come down to 72.8 per cent in September

What the revision of 3-decade-old inflation index may mean for rural wages

What the revision of a three-decade-old inflation index may mean for rural wages

Clerical error turns Madhya Pradesh farmer into India's poorest man

An income certificate in Satna showed a farmer earning just ₹3 a year, triggering ridicule and Congress criticism before officials admitted a clerical error and issued a correction

NSO to launch household income survey from Feb 2026: Statistics minister

The survey aims to estimate average household income across India and may help provide a clearer picture of poverty, inequality and income disparity across rural and urban areas

74% rural households expect income growth in 1 year: Nabard survey

Forecast of 'above normal' southwest monsoon in 2025 that would boost farm growth and rising consumption demand in rural India has fuelled the positive change in the rural sector

FPOs empower women in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, boost financial stability

Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) have transformed lives and provided financial stability to women in rural areas of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar who once earned meagre wages as farm labourers. Women of Karmad, who until a few years ago received Rs 200-300 in daily wages after toiling away in farms, now earn up to Rs 2,000 per day working at drying and processing units under FPOs. Besides empowering women in the area, FPOs have also cut losses incurred by farmers when excess produce flooded the markets, forcing them to destroy some of it. Drying units for onions and corn have come up in the Karmad area, around 30 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city, in the last couple of years, and they are part of a supply chain for hotels and food processing companies. Talking to PTI, Padmaja Vedpathak, who works with three other women in her corn processing unit, said, "We work seven days a week and earn around Rs 2,000 a day by processing three tonnes of corn daily. I used to earn Rs 300 a d

40% rural youth struggle for jobs over lack of skills, language proficiency

Around 40 per cent of rural youth struggle to secure employment mainly due to lack of skills and language proficiency, stated a report by business process management company Vertex Global Services. One of the most significant barriers identified in a survey is the language proficiency gap, which particularly affects rural youth, the report said. The survey, which gathered insights from 1,200 youths and working individuals across five states - Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, and Andhra Pradesh - paints a clear picture of the potential for positive change, it said. The survey said that 33 per cent of the respondents highlighted the challenge of limited job opportunities in their region. This is compelling the youth to migrate from rural regions to urban centres in search of enhanced training and industry exposure as well as higher-paying jobs, it stated. About 27 per cent of respondents underscored financial constraints as one of the major challenges in securing good job ..

PM Modi to distribute 5.8 mn Svamitva property cards: All you need to know

Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj said 20.19 million property cards have been prepared till now

Slowdown in urban demand hits FMCG growth; rural recovery offers hope

Initial data from NielsenIQ for October shows overall FMCG growth at 4-5 per cent, with volume growth at around 3 per cent and price growth at just 1-2 per cent

Rural FMCG basket expands on hybrid media usage, rising digital engagement

Digital platforms are playing an increasingly vital role in reaching and engaging consumers. From payments and e-commerce to gaming and lifestyle content, the digital landscape is expanding rapidly

Rural India's appetite for FMCG grows by 60%; what's behind the surge?

The Kantar and GroupM study highlights a nearly 60 per cent growth in the average FMCG basket size for rural consumers, increasing from 5.8 in 2022 to 9.3 in 2024

Rural demand rises but urban areas 'slow down'; will it impact GDP growth?

While rural demand has shown an uptick, rising food inflation and a slowdown in credit growth pose challenges, potentially dampening the country's growth in the second quarter of 2024-25

Rural aspirations: Economic opportunities need to be spread across India

A large proportion of youth aged 18-25 years who have never been employed do not aspire to join the workforce, possibly due to the challenging state of rural economy and limited non-farm opportunities

The new tale of two Indias

There are two distinct political narratives in the country today--one giving voice to an "aspiring India" and the other to a "hopeless India". Both factions have their work cut out

Govt focus on agri, rural incomes to sustain tractor demand: Swaraj Engines

The government's focus on improving the state of agriculture in India and several initiatives taken by it to drive higher rural incomes are likely to support to sustain the tractor demand momentum despite industry sales witnessing a decline of 7 per cent, according to Swaraj Engines Ltd. The company, which supplies diesel engines for tractors manufactured by M&M Swaraj Division, in its annual report for 2023-24, said the growing horticultural segment in the country also offers good opportunities to increase tractor penetration in the lower horsepower (HP) market. "The domestic tractor industry for FY24 at 8,75,700 units registered a degrowth of 7 per cent over last year's (FY23) 9,45,300 units mainly because of erratic and uneven rainfall distribution that impacted kharif output, coupled with the high industry base of FY23," it said. On the outlook and opportunities, Swaraj Engines in its management discussion and analysis said factors like increasing affordability with adequate ..

Bengal, UP, Rajasthan availed maximum work under MGNREGA in NDA regime

These states had the highest percentage of households who availed work under the scheme in the last 10 years in proportion to the total households availing employment under the scheme

FMCG industry sees 6.5% growth; rural demand surpasses urban: NielsenIQ

The Indian FMCG industry experienced a 6.5 per cent growth in volume terms at a national level in the January-March period of 2024, with rural consumption surpassing urban for the first time in five quarters, according to consumer intelligence firm NielsenIQ. Both food and non-food sectors contributed to the growth in consumption in the first quarter of 2024, but non-food saw almost double the growth as compared to food, NielsenIQ (NIQ) said in its quarterly snapshot for Q1 2024. The FMCG industry has experienced a 6.6 per cent growth in value, attributed to a 6.5 per cent increase in volume at an all-India level. The volume growth for this quarter was higher than Q1 2023, which stood at 3.1 per cent, it added. NIQ Head of Customer Success India, Roosevelt Dsouza said, "The FMCG industry's growth continues to be driven by consumption trends in Q12024 with rural areas surpassing urban growth for the first time in five quarters." Notably, Dsouza said home and personal care (HPC) ...

Indians' willingness to spend back at pre-Covid level, shows data

Consumer sentiment in rural India highest since Dec 2019