Can MGNREGA be the answer to rural distress caused by COVID-19

The rural job scheme can not only provide a great opportunity to jobless workers but also push the water conservation drive

Drought but why: How poverty is aggravated

Study shows during drought years in Rajasthan, the vulnerability of rural households to poverty increases

Demonetisation 2.0: cash crunch hits farmers, again

More than creating financial crunch for upcoming sowing season, cash crunch is impacting the prices at which farmers are selling their produce

India’s deep economic paralysis just set in

Amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, India enters into a situation that currently looks unimaginably distressed.

Hike in wheat MSP unlikely to help distressed farmers

The recent hike in Minimum Support Price on wheat will still not meet the Centre’s promise to ensure MSP 50 per cent higher than the cost …

COVID-19: Fear factor, supply uncertainty can make second wave worse for rural India, warns Pronab Sen

Down To Earth spoke to economist Sen, India’s former chief statistician and programme director for the International Growth Centre - …

Opposition unites on agrarian crisis, Centre yet to reply to farmers' demands

Farmer organisations have urged the Centre to pass two pass bills to free farmers from indebtedness and guarantee price for their produce

Why are Indian farmers protesting?

Farmers all over India are protesting against the government to get fair prices for their agricultural produce. Down To Earth explains the …

Elections 2019: Every fourth voter a distressed farmer

Though the farmers were not an issue in the general elections they now hold the fort for the world’s fastest growing economy despite being …

Centre approves Operation Green pilot in 8 states

17 clusters have been chosen in 8 states to roll out the pilot of Operation Green, a Central scheme aimed to contain annual price distress …

Doubling farmers’ income discussed in a closed door meeting

What is the use of strategy when no special budget was allocated to double farmers’ income, says a senior NITI Aayog official anonymously

Where will farmers go to get jobs?

There is a significant reduction in farm jobs. India must create alternative opportunities for those abandoning agriculture

More than 60% markets sell agricultural produce below MSP

The price of cereal, paddy and oilseed has crashed in more than 1,700 markets, according to government data

Can MGNREGA data serve as real-time index for rural distress?

Four researchers correlated IMD's drought data with the demand for and supply of MGNREGA jobs and created an online interactive map to show areas …

Two-day farmers' protest in Delhi; demand for 21-day joint Parliament session

Lakhs of farmers and farm labourers arrive in Delhi from across the country on November 29 to demand bills to guarantee fair price for …

The rise of the rurals

The Bharatiya Janata Party's famed "Gujarat Model" gets a rude jolt in the state's recent polls, especially from rural communities in the …

Climate change disrupts the goal of doubling farmers’ income

According to the just tabled Economic Survey, the government needs to implement “radical” actions to ensure the Prime Minister’…

Rajasthan faces farmers' ire for arresting their leaders ahead of indefinite protest

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee says that the state government arrested farmer leaders on Tuesday to preempt an …

Unmasking the Budget

The last full budget presented by Arun Jaitley was overwhelmingly focused on agriculture and public health. The catch lies in what he did not say