Butchers of Sopore and Birmingham

Nine years of calm before icy storm

Kashmir turns crimson with blood of Pandits

AN UN-ISLAMIC KIDNAPPING AND CHAOS IN THE VALLEY

The illusion of azaadi and Kashmir’s historic deception

How Pak's terror policy evolved in Kashmir

Birth of social media jihadists, death of Article-370

Operation Sindoor: When Indian missiles rained on Pak terror parade

<div class='ite_mg_banner ads__container'><div class='it_mg_bnrBox'><div class='ite_bnr_cont'><div class='ite_cont_dtl'> <h4>Subscribe to India Today Print + Digital. Your First Month Is On Us. <span class='bold_text'> ₹299/month</span> thereafter. Cancel anytime.</h4><a href='https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsubscriptions.intoday.in%2Findiatoday%3Futm_source%3Dtop-web-banner ' class='ite_subscribe_btn origin_conscent_url' target='_blank'>SUBSCRIBE</a></div></div></div></div>

US Election coverage

India

World

NewsMo

Fact Check

Programmes

Match Schedule

Teams

Player Stats

Match Report

LIVE SCORES

<p><strong>Agriculture</strong><div class="itgimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202005%2FReforms-Agriculture-Jun1-x433.jpg%3F8XJiHt6Yor3L3t1KCqVNU.gTJGzEMH_V%3Fsize%3D750:*" alt="" height="433" width="770" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>
<div class="body_caption"> </div>
</div></p><p>All big bang reforms in India have emerged out of adversity. The 1965 Green Revolution followed severe food scarcity in the country while the economic reforms of the 1990s originated from the foreign exchange crisis. The Centre&rsquo;s 11-point action plan on agriculture, announced in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, looks beyond the immediate exigencies and aims to strengthen the farmer&rsquo;s hand in the long run through legislative measures that will facilitate private investment in agricultural infrastructure, by boosting exports and by ushering in sweeping agricultural marketing reforms to give farmers a better deal for their produce.</p><p><strong>THE REFORMS</strong></p><p>It has been proposed that the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, be amended to allow private investment for building cold storages and warehouses, strengthen the farm-to-fork supply chain and facilitate direct dealing between farmers and consumers.</p><div class="itemcenter"><amp-iframe height="62" title="" width="320" sandbox="allow-forms allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" allowfullscreen src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014%5Cu0026native%3D1" class="mrBt15 preferred-source-banner"> </amp-iframe></div></p><p>A central legislation will allow farmers to sell their produce to anyone, outside the APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) yards.</p><p>A law will be formulated to dismantle inter-state barriers to the movement of agricultural produce.</p><p>A central legal framework is planned towards risk mitigation and price assurance to farmers.</p><p>A legal framework is proposed for countrywide contract farming.</p><p>A Rs 15,000 crore Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund will promote private investment in dairy processing, cattle feed, etc.</p><p>Onions, potatoes, pulses, oilseeds and cereals will be deregulated.</p><p><strong>THE RATIONALE</strong></p><p>With India now the second-largest producer of rice and wheat in the world and the largest exporter of rice, the Essential Commodities Act has become a barrier to the entry of big exporters and traders into agriculture, thereby restricting farmers&rsquo; choices and weakening their links with the market. While granaries are overflowing, the Act, which puts stock limits on traders and exporters, ends up restricting investment in storages and warehouses. Experts say amending this law will help both farmers and consumers get better price stability.</p><p>The proposed legislation to encourage farmers to sell their produce to anyone outside the boundaries of the APMC yards is likely to end the monopoly of these marketing centres and ensure greater competition among buyers. &ldquo;The proposal to have alternative channels to the APMC yards will also help lower the steep mandi fee for traders and the commission for agents,&rdquo; says Professor Ashok Gulati, agriculture expert and Infosys chair at ICRIER (the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations).</p><p>The barriers to inter-state trade restrict farmers&rsquo; choices. Removing them and creating a legal framework for contract farming are likely to free up farmers and help them get better returns for their produce.</p><p><strong>THE SCOPE</strong></p><p>Experts say the proposed legal reforms will act as a game-changer. Ashok Dalwai, CEO of the National Rainfed Area Authority and chairman of the Union agriculture ministry&rsquo;s Committee on Doubling Farmers&rsquo; Income, says: &ldquo;These reforms are a 1965 moment when the Green Revolution was ushered in. What the Green Revolution accomplished on the production side in transforming agriculture, the current reforms are likely to achieve on the post-production side. Farmers will witness an income revolution.&rdquo;</p><p>Farmer leader Binod Anand of the Confederation of NGOs of Rural India says some of the key announcements are good and, if implemented effectively, are likely to increase the returns for farmers.</p><p><strong>THE GAP</strong></p><p>Fundamental reforms are still awaited on the input side of agriculture. Only 45 per cent of the country&rsquo;s cultivable area is irrigated. Dalwai says bringing more agricultural area under micro-irrigation is critical for increasing productivity. There is also a need to focus on watershed development in the rainfed areas, he adds.</p><p>Reforms related to fertilisers and pesticides are equally important. The introduction of the soil health card scheme in 2015 was a step in the right direction. But more changes were needed. &ldquo;Digital technology must be introduced to focus on comprehensive risk management, such as price and demand forecasting,&rdquo; says Dalwai.</p><p>Some experts feel the reforms do not offer much relief to farmers in the immediate run. Anand says the Centre should have compensated farmers for the massive losses incurred due to the pandemic and the lockdown. He also advocates creating a &ldquo;special purpose vehicle for ease of doing business and attracting mega investments in agri- related businesses&rdquo;. &ldquo;Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) can be stakeholders in such businesses,&rdquo; he says.</p><p>&ldquo;Instead of big buyers and traders rushing directly to the farmers in an alternative channel outside the APMCs, it is better to create a scale by building FPOs based on local commodity interests,&rdquo; says Gulati.</p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Iram Ara Ibrahim</div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">May 23, 2020</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div>

special-report

Special Report

<p><strong>Agriculture</strong><div class="itgimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  height="433"  title=""  width="770"  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fbodyeditor%2F202005%2FReforms-Agriculture-Jun1-x433.jpg%3F8XJiHt6Yor3L3t1KCqVNU.gTJGzEMH_V%3Fsize%3D750:*" loading="lazy" /></div>
<div class="body_caption"> </div>
</div></p><p>All big bang reforms in India have emerged out of adversity. The 1965 Green Revolution followed severe food scarcity in the country while the economic reforms of the 1990s originated from the foreign exchange crisis. The Centre&rsquo;s 11-point action plan on agriculture, announced in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, looks beyond the immediate exigencies and aims to strengthen the farmer&rsquo;s hand in the long run through legislative measures that will facilitate private investment in agricultural infrastructure, by boosting exports and by ushering in sweeping agricultural marketing reforms to give farmers a better deal for their produce.</p><p><strong>THE REFORMS</strong></p><p>It has been proposed that the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, be amended to allow private investment for building cold storages and warehouses, strengthen the farm-to-fork supply chain and facilitate direct dealing between farmers and consumers.</p><div class="itemcenter"><iframe scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="62" awidth="320" aheight="62" amplayout="fixed" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014" class="preferred-source-banner" loading="lazy"></iframe></div><style>.preferred-source-banner{  margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}</style></p><p>A central legislation will allow farmers to sell their produce to anyone, outside the APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) yards.</p><p>A law will be formulated to dismantle inter-state barriers to the movement of agricultural produce.</p><p>A central legal framework is planned towards risk mitigation and price assurance to farmers.</p><p>A legal framework is proposed for countrywide contract farming.</p><p>A Rs 15,000 crore Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund will promote private investment in dairy processing, cattle feed, etc.</p><p>Onions, potatoes, pulses, oilseeds and cereals will be deregulated.</p><p><strong>THE RATIONALE</strong></p><p>With India now the second-largest producer of rice and wheat in the world and the largest exporter of rice, the Essential Commodities Act has become a barrier to the entry of big exporters and traders into agriculture, thereby restricting farmers&rsquo; choices and weakening their links with the market. While granaries are overflowing, the Act, which puts stock limits on traders and exporters, ends up restricting investment in storages and warehouses. Experts say amending this law will help both farmers and consumers get better price stability.</p><p>The proposed legislation to encourage farmers to sell their produce to anyone outside the boundaries of the APMC yards is likely to end the monopoly of these marketing centres and ensure greater competition among buyers. &ldquo;The proposal to have alternative channels to the APMC yards will also help lower the steep mandi fee for traders and the commission for agents,&rdquo; says Professor Ashok Gulati, agriculture expert and Infosys chair at ICRIER (the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations).</p><p>The barriers to inter-state trade restrict farmers&rsquo; choices. Removing them and creating a legal framework for contract farming are likely to free up farmers and help them get better returns for their produce.</p><p><strong>THE SCOPE</strong></p><p>Experts say the proposed legal reforms will act as a game-changer. Ashok Dalwai, CEO of the National Rainfed Area Authority and chairman of the Union agriculture ministry&rsquo;s Committee on Doubling Farmers&rsquo; Income, says: &ldquo;These reforms are a 1965 moment when the Green Revolution was ushered in. What the Green Revolution accomplished on the production side in transforming agriculture, the current reforms are likely to achieve on the post-production side. Farmers will witness an income revolution.&rdquo;</p><p>Farmer leader Binod Anand of the Confederation of NGOs of Rural India says some of the key announcements are good and, if implemented effectively, are likely to increase the returns for farmers.</p><p><strong>THE GAP</strong></p><p>Fundamental reforms are still awaited on the input side of agriculture. Only 45 per cent of the country&rsquo;s cultivable area is irrigated. Dalwai says bringing more agricultural area under micro-irrigation is critical for increasing productivity. There is also a need to focus on watershed development in the rainfed areas, he adds.</p><p>Reforms related to fertilisers and pesticides are equally important. The introduction of the soil health card scheme in 2015 was a step in the right direction. But more changes were needed. &ldquo;Digital technology must be introduced to focus on comprehensive risk management, such as price and demand forecasting,&rdquo; says Dalwai.</p><p>Some experts feel the reforms do not offer much relief to farmers in the immediate run. Anand says the Centre should have compensated farmers for the massive losses incurred due to the pandemic and the lockdown. He also advocates creating a &ldquo;special purpose vehicle for ease of doing business and attracting mega investments in agri- related businesses&rdquo;. &ldquo;Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) can be stakeholders in such businesses,&rdquo; he says.</p><p>&ldquo;Instead of big buyers and traders rushing directly to the farmers in an alternative channel outside the APMCs, it is better to create a scale by building FPOs based on local commodity interests,&rdquo; says Gulati.</p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Iram Ara Ibrahim</div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">May 23, 2020</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div>

Along with the financial stimulus package, the Modi government announced a slew of reforms across major sectors. The INDIA TODAY team assesses what could work and what might fall short.

The big bang theory: Giving farmers a future

India Today

The big bang theory: Giving farmers a future - India Today

Suryakumar Yadav is back in form at the right time with India aiming to defend their T20 World Cup crown. With the captain back amongst the runs, SKY offers a new dimension to India's already destructive batting order. 

Suryakumar Yadav celebrates his fifty (PTI Photo)

IND vs NZ: Suryakumar Yadav celebrates his fifty in Raipur (PTI Photo)

Suryakumar Yadav back in beast mode: Is India’s T20 crown safe again?

Sunny Deol's ability to return with the right film at the right time lets him tide over stretches of forgettable releases. Border 2 is the latest instance.

Sunny Deol in Border 2

Why Sunny Deol's superstardom is unique: Betaab to Border 2 via Ghayal and Gadar

The new middle-class nightmare isn’t recession but redundancy at 40. It takes one call, one email, one "restructuring", and your peak earning years are wiped out. It is true, India is creating a 20-year gap where people are neither employed nor retired, just stuck in survival mode.

jobloss india 40s

If 40 is the new layoff age, is it also India's new retirement age?

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has accepted the ICC’s decision to drop them from the T20 World Cup 2026 after refusing to travel to India. The BCB said there was nothing more they could do.

Bangladesh cricket team

Bangladesh accept ICC's T20 World Cup axe, won't challenge decision further

Sunny Deol's Border 2 performed better than Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar on its second day at the box office. The film is solidifying its status as the biggest tentpole release of 2026 so far.

border 2 box office record: biggest opening for a war film

Border 2 box office record

Border 2 box office day 2: Sunny Deol film dominates Republic Day weekend

Play Time!

Donald Trump

T20 World Cup

Border 2

Tariffs

Iran

PM Modi

Greenland

Jana Nayagan

WPL 2026

Budget 2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally in poll-bound Kerala on Thursday saw a warm and light-hearted moment when he paused his speech to acknowledge a young child in the crowd holding up his picture, drawing loud applause. Modi asked the boy to hand over the photograph, write his home address on the back, and promised to write to him personally, directing SPG personnel to handle the picture carefully as a token of the child’s affection. 

PM Modi's Kerala  rally.

You’ll get tired beta: PM’s warm moment with child holding his pic at Kerala rally

 Amidst inclement weather and heavy snowfall, a team of Udhampur police rescued 12 individuals, including women and children, who were stranded at Chochru Galla in the upper ridges of the Basantgarh area.

Udhampur Police Rescue 12 People Stranded In Heavy Snow

Udhampur police rescue 12 people stranded in heavy snowfall in J&K's Basantgarh

Ajith Kumar's fans took the celebrations too seriously as they burst crackers inside a theatre hall during Mankatha screening. The film re-released in South India on January 23.

Ajith Mankatha celebrations

Watch: Ajith's fans burst crackers for Mankantha intro scene inside auditorium

In an exclusive interview with India Today TV Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai at Davos, Somalia's Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama spoke in fluent Hindi and slammed Donald Trump for his remarks and recalled his student days in India. 

Download App

Subscribe to India Today Print + Digital. Your First Month Is On Us. ₹299/month thereafter. Cancel anytime.

The big bang theory: Giving farmers a future

Along with the financial stimulus package, the Modi government announced a slew of reforms across major sectors. The INDIA TODAY team assesses what could work and what might fall short.

PUBLICATIONS

TELEVISION

EVENTS

RADIO

GAMING

USEFUL LINKS

PRINTING

WELFARE

DISTRIBUTION

SYNDICATIONS

WEBSITES

EDUCATION