Reportage
Rs 2,400 crore: That’s the amount which sugar mills in the country owe sugarcane farmers
These arrears have affected the liquidity of the sugar mills. As per the norms set by the government, the farmers should be paid within 14 days of its supply, failing which they also have to pay 15 per cent annual interest on late payments. Despite this, there is an outstanding
Mithilesh Dhar Dubey
Sonbhadra: The darker aspect of the golden glow
This district in Uttar Pradesh grabbed headlines recently when it was reported that 3,000 gold deposits were discovered here. It was later reported that the quantity was much less. However, there is a dark side to Sonbhadra, which falls in the coal belt
Mithilesh Dhar Dubey
After many years, it’s going to be a ‘Happy Holi’ for potato farmers in India
After a lull of 10 years, potatoes are selling for Rs 900-1,000 a quintal. For the past several years, potatoes were selling at around Rs 400-600 a quintal. After the 2016-17 price-crash, the farmers in the potato belt of the country had given up on potato cultivation, but things are looking up this year
Virendra Singh
“If the farmers take meaningful initiatives, income can be generated from cow dung”
Farmers are facing the strays menace in several states of the country. These are cows and calves which have been abandoned by the farmers as they are of no-use to them. But, according to experts, this perception can change
Arvind Shukla
The Centre has made changes to the crop insurance scheme. Will this affect the farmers?
The Centre has almost halved its contribution to the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, slashing its share of the premium subsidy from the current 50% to just 25% in irrigated areas and 30% for unirrigated areas from the kharif season of 2020. However, it has made enrolment in the scheme voluntary
Arvind Shukla
“In rural areas, women often say they were misbehaved with and don’t use the term rape”
A girl living in Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh was raped when she was 19. It has been two years since the incidence. Now she feels she will not get justice. The police for long said they can’t do much against the accused for ‘misbehviour’ because the girl did not use the word rape in the FIR
Neetu Singh
Cows are not a problem, but a solution. All we need to do is shift our focus
A cow may, on an average, yield two to three kilos of milk daily, but produces at least seven litres of cow urine and 10 kilos of dung. If the same is utilised, it would solve many problems of the farmers
Arvind Shukla
A fact: We have 3.1 million elected representatives and 1.3 million women representatives
In just seven minutes and five questions, get an introduction to local government in India — what it is, its structure, functions, sources of funding, and some of the challenges it faces
Tanaya Jagtiani
Cows were a source of income. When did they become a headache for farmers?
Cows make newspaper headlines and are a topic of discussion in TV studios. But the actual issues involving cows are never discussed. This has led to cows becoming a menace for farmers, who earlier used to worship them
Arvind Shukla
Should we import Gir semen when we have many farmers who are rearing them here?
A recent decision by the Narendra Modi government to import frozen semen of Gir bulls from Brazil has generated a lively debate. Incidentally, the breed in question is native to India