Sayantan Bera
@sayantanbera
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Notes on food, farming and rural India @livemint Long Story email: sayantanbera @gmail .com All views expressed here are personal
New Delhi, India
Joined March 2011
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Where the Indian farmer stands (aside) in the scheme of things... From the inimitable R K Laxman
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If fuel is available for 1.64 pounds in UK, it should cost around Rs 50 in India in PPP or purchasing power parity terms. For comparing prices across countries PPP is the metrix used, not direct conversion using exchange rates.
Petrol selling for 1.64 pounds per litre in UK (about Rs 164)
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After speaking to farmers in several states, experts and industry insiders, my sense is that a
#wheat
crisis is imminent for India in the next 4-5 months, or earlier
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A farmer from Maharashtra takes his anger out on unsold pomegranates. No buyer in mandis even for Rs 10 a kg. Ahmednagar.
P. S. Please don't ask why he isn't selling it in a cart. In an area where every other farmer harvests the same crop, that's not an option
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Before serving your child a glass of 'healthy' fruit juice pls read the label behind. 37 teaspoons of
#sugar
in one litre. A 200 ml serving contains more sugar than what a child is supposed to have in a day! And that glass of juice isnt the only thing your child is having
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Journalist: How much are you spending on the Krishi Unnati Mela?
Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh: Depends on how much journalists eat at the event.
(Press briefing, Krishi Bhavan, Delhi, 14 March 2018) We have the recording.
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We have stopped watching news on tv, barring two channels, farmers in Shamli, western UP told me yesterday. Palpable anger, both against media and the government.
#FarmersProtest
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Putting this🧵out to clear some misconceptions on
#farmerprotest2024
and its demand for a legal backing to
#MSP
. Will it bankrupt the exchequer? Do only rich farmers benefit from MSP? Will it drive away private buyers?
Illustration: Where the Indian Farmer stands (aside)… from
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Children at an anganwadi in rural UP which no longer serve hot cooked meals. They are supposed to receive some dry rations once a month, but very few do! Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh
#nutrition
#hunger
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A grim data point: Suicides by daily wage earners, undoubtedly the poorest in India, nearly doubled between 2014 and 2018.
From 15,735 to 30,127. Suicides by daily wagers tops all professional groups, be it farmers or housewives.
Source: Latest NCRB reports
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So I had a chat with a former
#naturalfarming
fellow from Andhra, KV Homendra, and he sent me this photo of a cauliflower weighing 3kg, grown without any chemical inputs. And look at those roots!
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What the poor are eating: rotis and chillies. Pulses and veggies, now a luxury. Ground reports, confirmed by the brilliant
@someshjha7
scoop showing a dramatic 9% fall in rural consumption and an est 10% rise in poverty.
Photos from Vidisha and Ganganagar.
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At Pipliya mandi in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, farmers are waiting for days to sell their garlic at a loss. Going rate between Rs 2-8 a kilo. Looks like, the collapse in crop prices will cost BJP dearly in the polls in Malwa region.
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Gomutra (cow urine) flavoured with tulsi and elaichi selling outside Krishi Bhavan in Delhi for Rs 350 a bottle. Advisory on bottle says drink every morning on an empty stomach. If you get diarrhea it's a good sign: your system is cleansing!
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Met this blind man and his wife, an
#MGNREGS
worker, y'day. They walked for three hours from their village to the block office, to demand
#work
under the
#employment
guarantee scheme.
Tragic how India is treating the most vulnerable. Mujaffarpur, Bihar.
#Budget2020
#Rural
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Got an email from my housing society in Noida. Special vaccination camp for residents where Fortis will charge Rs 1050 for a dose of covishield. 75% markup over the serum inst price of Rs 600! Clear case of profit gouging in absence of any regulatory oversight.
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I could move to Delhi and study in JNU because my school teacher father could afford the nominal charges. JNU eased my transition into journalism from a researcher in economics, I am immensely grateful for that. Privelege and money never mattered here. Let it stay that way.
JNU protests: Here are the existing charges and revised charges under different categories including room rent and mess security
Follow Live Updates:
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I keep seeing this on X: why should farmers have the privilege of guaranteed minimum prices which no other business gets?
#MSP
#farmersprotests2024
This is why:
1. No other business face both production risks (like drought/excess rains/heatwave/pest attack etc) PLUS price
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India is aspiring to feed the world but might end up with egg on its face when domestic consumer prices rise sharply in near future; retail prices are already on the rise
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The agri ministry is estimating a crop size of record 111 million tonnes, but actual production is likely to be at least 10% lower due to the March heatwave and also shift in acreage from wheat to mustard
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Crazy: An individual earning more than 10 lakh pays 30% tax, a corporate with 1000 cr profit pays 25% effective tax! Is this how dd will recover? There is a reason stock markets are happy!
How will Rs 1.45 tn tax benefit to corporates help in a slowdown driven by demand collapse/poor incomes? Where will this money come from?
If this money was spent on rural schemes (employment/roads/housing) at least some people would earn more and purchase more, no?
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The blame for this impending crisis can be traced to inaccurate
#data
and poor
#estimates
. Surprised, the agriculture, food and commerce ministries are clueless...
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Children can't always eat the free mid day meals, the dal is so watery they have to drink it up. Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh.
#nutrition
#hunger
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India may even be forced to impose stock limits and an export ban as and when atta prices cross 40 rs a kg, marking a major pain point for consumers in addition to already high cooking oil prices
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This is an appreciation tweet to thank
@ramanmann1974
For the contributions he has made to the farmers' cause without being part of any group, and the efforts he took to help journalists like me to discover the pulse of rural India.
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Hike in wheat
#MSP
lowest in a decade (% increase y-o-y). So in a way that is 'Historic'!
#FarmBill2020
#msphaiaurrahega
It is our great privilege to work for the welfare of our farmers. In line with our ethos of taking farmer-friendly measures, the Cabinet has taken another historic decision to raise MSP. Crores of farmers will benefit from this.
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What India is doing with
#wheat
is in sharp contrast to China, the top producer globally, which has been on a stocking spree since last year..
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Do we understand the food we eat? Know it, intimately? The few who do, are making ginormous profits from our ignorance. The state is complicit. We are oblivious.
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Cruel. Tomato auction in Charkhi Dadri Mandi in Haryana. 25kg crate sold for Rs14. Thats 56 paisa per kilo. Farmers letting their crop rot in the field. Shot this video 30 mins back.
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P.S. wheat yields are also impacted by non availability of DAP fertilizer last October
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Farmers of Bihar do not benefit from MSP because the state abolished regulated APMC mandis way back in 2006.
It's a free reign of private traders where farmers have no say. Most farmers don't even know what MSP means.
The biggest beneficiary of a weak MSP regime are private
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Global wheat prices are unlikely to cool anytime soon as rising
#fertlizer
prices may push farmers in other countries to grow oilseeds instead of cereals which require more chemical nutrients
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Show me one farmer union who is supporting these laws:
@_YogendraYadav
in Ratia, Haryana
#FarmBills2020
#FarmerProtest
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Let it be clear. This is PMs first press appearance, not press conference! He isn't taking questions, not even mango ones!
#Elections2019
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Remember Tabarak, the 11 yr old who pedalled from Varanasi to Araria in Bihar with his ailing and injured parents during the lockdown? Despite the financial help which came their way, the family is struggling to make ends meet. Met them last Friday.
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After a short break, i have joined
@ThePrintIndia
as senior editor, rural affairs. You can write to me at sayantan.bera
@theprint
.in Looking forward to an enriching stint
@ShekharGupta
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Rs 1800 for a dose of covishield is the highest I have seen so far.
@SerumInstIndia
selling to Pvt hospitals at Rs 600 per dose. This is loot!
#VaccineForAll
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MSP is a promise made by the government to farmers before they plant a crop.
By asking for a statutory backing farmers only want to ensure that MSP announcements are not hollow promises. It's that simple.
When prices fall below MSP, the government will step in and buy a small
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After feeling miserable the entire day, this essay by my little daughter made me smile :)
Since I too, ofen waste time
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#Haryana
#Farmer
sells 4300 kg of potato at NINE PAISA per kg. Bear with him (?) if he blocks National Highway 1 on 16 June
#FarmersStrike
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Late evening in Ram Leela grounds. Resident doctors from AMU have set up a medical camp for protesting farmers
#KisanMuktiMarch
#DilliChalo
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How will Rs 1.45 tn tax benefit to corporates help in a slowdown driven by demand collapse/poor incomes? Where will this money come from?
If this money was spent on rural schemes (employment/roads/housing) at least some people would earn more and purchase more, no?
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With a likely second term for Modi, India is moving towards electoral authoritarianism, warns
@_YogendraYadav
in an interview to
@livemint
#ExitPoll
#IndiaElections2019
Mint interviewed Yadav three days before the exit poll results were out
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Personal update: after close to 8 yrs, y'day was my last day at the Mint newspaper. Grateful to Mint and it's editors who trusted me, funded my travels and gave the space to write on food, farming and rural India, stuff i grew close to. This stint rarely felt like a job.
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Edible oils sold as kachi ghani, or cold press, aren't so. It's apparently just a brand name and "doesn't represent it's true nature". Most brands do this. Why allow such deceptive marketing to fool consumers?
@fssaiindia
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PPP is best used for comparing prices for domestically produced goods (fuel is imported by both India and UK), and a better indicator is per capita income to gauge affordability. I stand corrected. But point remains that simple exchange rate conversion is obfuscating
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Farmer from Mandsaur, MP, told me they are selling garlic for Rs 3-10/kg. Delhi retail price today Rs 100/kg. Mandsaur burned last year as crop prices fell steeply. 6 died. Farmers plan to stop supplies to cities from June 1-10. Like last year. Because we forget!
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"Don't treat farmers like they are criminals", said an emotional Dr Madhura Swaminathan
@MadhuraFAS
, economist and daughter of Dr M S Swaminathan, at an event today celebrating the Bharat Ratna awarded to her father.
Implementation of C2+50% MSP calculation is a key demand of
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Silence and seething anger are ominous signs. A ground report for
@livemint
Long Story page on
#WestBengalElections2021
Read online:
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Will the
#farmersbill
benefit farmers? The short answer is, we don't know yet. Flagging a few gaps here. A thread.
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Why guarantee a minimum price and why it is important?
Minimum Support Price or MSP is calculated to ensure a reasonable return over cost of production. Making it statutory is a recognition that trade below this minimum price is UNFAIR and EXPLOITATIVE. Think of it as statutory
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In his 2019 speech the Prime Minister said farmer incomes should double by the 75th year of
#independence
. Today is the day. Has farm incomes doubled or goal posts have been shifted?
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Young kids, son of a driver and a tailor, now
#jobless
, begging for food supplies outside a 24/7 outlet in Noida. So are scores of women-- outside supermarkets and liquor stores, pleading shoppers. Urban poor out on the streets
#Covid_19
#lockdownindia
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Dear friends: Rubina, a beautician from Noida is struggling to treat her husband, Amit Singh, who is critical following an accident. The pandemic means she has little work. Please help her. Details in the next tweet. Have verified the case via
@tehseenz
@ToufiqRashid
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Jab tak jail me chana rahega, aana jana bana rahega
#FarmersProtest
Sravasti, Uttar Pradesh
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A severely malnourished mother and child at the same anganwadi.
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Where farmers are scared to set foot. Where stray cattle work as waste management workers.
Is the sorry state of mandis in Bihar a forewarning for India's new farm laws? A ground report for
@livemint
#FarmersProtests
#agriculture
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Metro to muddy puddle: wonderful to see city kids from Mumbai figure out where their food comes from. Lend a hand to plant rice. Super initiative by
@RujutaDiwekar
who is showing us how to eat better and heathier
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This article is wrong at so many levels, confused where to begin with. Farmers have political clout? If they did, why would they be out on the streets? Ever seen corporates sweating it out demanding loan write-offs?
@_YogendraYadav
@ramanmann1974
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What a victory for farmers! After 700 deaths and year long sit-ins braving cold and rains
#Farmlawsrepealed
Respect for the sacrifice farmers from Punjab and Haryana made and their commitment to the cause. They just made history.
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Wrong! Food production fell sharply between 2014-16 due to bad monsoon. Rural distress and protests peaked when prices collapsed in the record crop year of 2016-17. And 2017-18 Kharif food production is lower year on year due to an uneven monsoon.
Economy Fact Sheet : Increase in food grains production despite two years of bad monsoon does not indicate agrarian crisis!
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"Indian Kings used to build palaces during famines and droughts to provide employment and
improve the economic fortunes of the private sector" says
#EconomicSurvey2021
pp 45, Vol 1
Rationalising the central vista project?
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How is it possible that 50 crore people benefitted from
#AyushmanBharat
when 10 lakh have received free medical treatment and one crore cards have been issued? Matlab kuch bhi
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A construction worker has to spend 60% of income to feed a decent square meal to a family of 5- minus fruit/egg. What does that leave a family with, to spend on education or health? Excellent analysis by
@shwetasaini22
and
@pulkit7khatri
via
@ThePrintIndia
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Farmer leaders ask the govt, YES OR NO by holding placards!
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Will a legal backing to MSP drain govt finances?
No. When prices dip below MSP, the government has to step in buy a small quantity to lift market prices higher. It does not have to buy the entire produce. Here’s a simple example: Suppose farmers produced 100 kg of lentils in a
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Then by what basis was the PM claiming victory over Covid in Feb?
States reeling under the 2nd Covid wave were forewarned by the Center as early as Jan2021 and followed up with several advisories later. Congress+ ruled states did nothing.
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4.
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Professional update: Happy to be back at
@livemint
as a part of its super Long Story team. Looking forward to an enriching second stint here
@sruthijith
@Goutam20
Write to me at sayantan.bera
@livemint
.com
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26, and kicking up a storm in Thar:
In Rajasthan’s desert country,
#Elections2024
are a heady mix of aspirations, caste, and charisma. A ground report from Barmer.
@livemint
Long Story
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Poison on your plate? Its not just about masalas and infant food. The rot runs deep: deceptive marketing, little to no testing of samples to check for harmful residues, promoting junk to kids, no labels to warn consumers. What is the regulator up to?
@livemint
Primer on
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India's very own
#occupy
movement. Farmers from Punjab and Haryana prepared for the long haul. Calm and determined. Photos from the Singhu border at the doorstep of Delhi
#FarmersBill2020
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There are mechanisms to check volatility in stock markets, but nobody calls this min support price for stocks. Sharp piece by economist Ajit Ranade in today's Mint
#FarmersProtest
#MSP
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Why Amethi said bye-bye to Rahul: Congress should have seen this coming, say residents.
@livemint
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So, the govt has started to pencil in a
#wheat
shortage!
Monthly allocation of wheat under PMGKAY (free food scheme) cut by 1.1 million tonnes, and replaced with rice. For May-Sept, this will save 5.5MT of wheat from public stocks.
Where did the mountain of 'surplus' disappear?
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Finally, will a legal guarantee to MSP chase private buyers away?
Just because there is a minimum wage law does not mean that the private sector stops hiring workers. For sugar, a statutory minimum price is already in place. And large private sugar mills pay this minimum price
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Reality of the much hyped free gas connections under Ujjwala yojana. Poor families have no money to refill. They shifted back to firewood in no time. Cylinders and stoves gathering dust. Banda district, rural Uttar Pradesh.
@sunitarora
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Gentle reminder: Millions of farmers across four states battling a
#drought
. Keep them in your prayers while celebrating
#AzadiKaAmritMahotsav
#IndiaAt75
Ground report, out soon in
@ThePrintIndia
Photo: Torn and parched. Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh. Shot August 9.
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Save the date: starting 2 October 2022, all bags of subsidised fertilisers will have 'Prime Minister' printed on them under a new scheme!!!
Not sure what this is supposed to achieve.
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Did you keep your promises to farmers? In Rajasthan farmers are selling moong for Rs 4200 per quintal: 40% lower than MSP of Rs 6975. Even lower than last year's MSP, and estimated production cost of Rs 4650 per quintal.
There are around 150 promises still not fulfilled by the KCR govt. Around 4,500 farmers have committed suicide in Telangana. If we come to power, we will ensure development of all: Shri
@AmitShah
#AmitShahinTelangana
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It's 9.30 am on a Sunday. And Rajya Sabha is discussing
#farmersbill
What a tearing rush to rescue farmers- the only problem is farmers donot want this liberation!
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Scouting markets on late evenings for a bargain. A daughter embarrassed to take lunch from home. No fruits, little milk... How soaring
#food
prices and falling earnings have led to poorer diets in
#India
I write for
@AJEnglish
#inflation
#hunger
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Quite fascinating how a 100% commercial grain like Barley which is used to make Beer, animal feed and health supplements has become a destitute, foster crop for farmers. Glaring market failure perpetuated by lopsided policies!
At Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan
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Remember the 2004 India Shining campaign which backfired on BJP? Some key rural indicators today are where they were in 2004. This will have a bearing on the upcoming general elections in 2009, I write for
@livemint
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Public money down the drain? Close to Rs1,000,000,000,000 spent on PM's
#crop
#insurance
scheme, but why is everyone-
#farmers
, insurers, state govts- unhappy?
#mintlongstory
on what needs a fix
@livemint
Exp: Rs 1 trillion (lakh crore) since June2016
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SOS call for help. Sk Asadullah and 3 othrs, skilled zari workers from Howrah dist, West Bengal stuck in Athimugham vill, Krishnagiri dist, TN. Very little food left. Please help.
#Lockdownextention
@edm_krishnagiri
@CMOTamilNadu
@ADMKKrishnagiri
@krishnagirismc
@MamataOfficial
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"I have the experience of selling my perishable produce to corporate buyers. They don’t pay a rupee more than the prevailing market rate"
@livemint
spoke to farmers beyond Punjab and Haryana for their views on
#FarmBill2020
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#Agriculture
growth rate plummets to 2.1% in 2017/18 from 4.9% last year, shows 1st avd est of national income. Four year's avg agri growth under Modi govt just 1.9%. How will
#farmer
incomes double at this rate?
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Why are Punjab farmers at the forefront of these protests?
Rice wheat cycle has depleted soils and groundwater. They want to move to less intensive crops like pulses and oilseeds. But there is no assured MSP based purchase for these crops. They want assured MSP for a wider range
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Isn’t the govt already spending lakhs of crores in MSP subsidies?
The govt is estimated to spend Rs 2 lakh crore in 2022-23 for the food security scheme. Most of this money goes to the 80 cr consumer beneficiaries, not farmers. Let’s understand this with a simple example: say,
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The anger in India's farms. Nosediving crop prices force farmers to destroy their harvest. Prospects of a good monsoon raises hopes, till the next round of harvest and price crash hits.
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The farmer has been shot on the foot, it appears. What a way to mark Gandhi Jayanti!
#KisanKranti
-- A farmer from Aligarh was shot at while protesters were heading towards Delhi with hundreds of tractor-trolleys and private vehicles.
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