Topic: Agriculture
India’s poultry industry needs Rs 20,000 cr to recover from crash caused by Covid rumours
Chicken prices at the farm gate plummeted as much as 70% in March from January, forcing farmers to cull large numbers and causing huge losses.
How a former Israeli spy’s start-up hopes to transform farming in Asia
Taranis developed AI that helps drones capture high-definition, detailed images of crops which can be used to make real-time decisions about fertilizer, pesticides and cultivation.
India rolls out red carpet for global firms, Modi makes fresh investment pitch to investors
At the India Global Week 2020, Modi said India remains one of the most open economies in the world, adding that green-shoots are visible in the economy.
APMC laws had shackled farmers, Modi govt’s ordinance makes them as free as other sectors
The govt hasn’t done away with APMCs but given farmers the ability to sell outside mandis. Arguments that the ordinance violates the Constitution are flawed.
Why Modi govt’s contract farming ordinance is a win-win for farmers, buyers & even traders
Farmers can lock in prices and buyers for their produce even before the harvest, and intermediaries can be assured of supply and price at the time of harvest.
Wholesale vegetable prices soar as demand rises, retail rates to spike too if supply gap stays
Wholesale traders cite a nearly 20% increase in demand for vegetables as restaurants, dhabas, canteens and other eateries have opened since 1 June.
Modi govt walks the talk on agriculture reforms. Now, fix the loopholes
Modi govt has made actual legal changes to implement its policy statements on agriculture reforms. It should now plug loopholes to realise their full potential.
Indian-American soil scientist Dr Rattan Lal wins World Food Prize — ‘Nobel’ of agriculture
Dr Rattan Lal's model could help restore soil health, more than double global annual grain yield and decrease the land area under grain cultivation along with fertiliser use.
Modi govt’s three rushed ordinances can help agriculture, but not farmers
None of the new agri-marketing laws have anything to do with the coronavirus or the lockdown, but were brought in by Modi govt when Parliament was shut.
‘Govt sabotaging atmanirbhar plan’ — farmers criticise masoor duty cut as global prices rise
Modi govt reduced the import duty on masoor to less than half on 2 June. Farmers and traders allege move is to aid influential trading groups.
Inflation in India well above benign level, but RBI is yet not uncomfortable: Manpreet Badal
Should India go back to Keynes and start spending? Sadly, Modi govt does not have sufficient fiscal space to propel a strong enough multiplier.
India isn’t facing up to the true financial cost of Covid
Truth is currently as scarce as capital in India. The govt doesn’t have the appetite for large-scale socialisation of private losses, lest the opposition accuse PM Modi of cronyism.
Defence
Army begins process to recruit second batch of 100 women soldiers for military police
Army intends to induct 1,700 women recruits in the military police by 2036, increasing the percentage of women in the cadre to 20 over 17 years.
Modi redefined secularism with Ram Mandir as Hindu voters were fed up of Sonia-Left version
Assumptions that Indian secularism died with Ram Mandir bhoomi pujan are bunk. It is enshrined in the Constitution, and is worth preserving.