In a bonanza to farmers, the government on Friday announced a subsidised five per cent interest rate on crop loans on timely repayment, while proposing a 15 per cent hike in credit made available for farm sector.
The government has extended the repayment date six months under the farm loan waiver scheme, a move that is expected to help banks set aside less money for non-performing loans, but has raised expectations of another loan waiver ahead of general elections.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Tejasvi Surya and editors of some Kannada news portals have been booked for allegedly spreading fake news linking a farmer's suicide to land disputes with Waqf Board, police said on Friday.
Hemant Soren, the youngest chief minister of Jharkhand, has navigated a tumultuous political journey marked by legal battles, party rivalries, and personal setbacks. Despite facing challenges, he has emerged as a powerful advocate for the rights of tribal communities, earning his place as a formidable figure in the state's political landscape. This article explores his rise to power, his leadership style, and the key initiatives he has undertaken for the betterment of Jharkhand.
The government is considering giving more time to farmers to repay their loans under the debt relief programme that allows parital loan waiver to large farmers.
The Centre has allocated Rs 411 crore (Rs 4.11 billion) more in this budget for this purpose over and above the allocation made during the interim Budget, he added.
These are the highlights of the Union Budget 2025-26 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on Saturday.
Farmers from Punjab clashed with Haryana police at two border points between the states on Tuesday, facing tear gas and water cannons as they tried to break past barricades blocking their protest march to the national capital. The police lobbed tear gas shells -- some of them dropped from a drone -- and tried to disperse groups of stone-pelting protesters in the face-off that last several hours at Shambhu border near Ambala in Haryana.
'I hope that by seeing us in such huge numbers the government will get scared and agree to our demands.'
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday promised loans to farmers and unemployed youth, creation of 15 lakh jobs and quota for Gujjar and other backward communities if voted to power in Rajasthan in next month's assembly election.
The initiative would provide double the relief announced by the states of UP and Maharashtra, the Punjab CM said.
The march had started from Dindori town, located around 195 km away from Mumbai, on March 12 demanding relief of Rs 600 per quintal to onion growers hit by price crash, 12-hour uninterrupted power supply to farmers, and waiver of farm loans.
Addressing the 'parivartan sankalp rally' in Ahmedabad, Gandhi made a host of promises to people of Gujarat, where the assembly polls are due later this year, including creation of 10 lakh new jobs, building 3,000 English medium schools and free education to girls.
Ultimately, it boils down to whether a loan waiver will help without taking action to improve irrigation facilities and to ensure remunerative prices for farmers.
Reddy dared the saffron party to prove its claim that the Congress government in the southern state did not fulfil its poll guarantees.
Making the announcement, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said this was the "biggest" loan waiver scheme in the country.
Sena's most discussed promise during the assembly poll campaign -- a full meal at Rs 10 -- also figures in the CMP.
Despite these challenges, his strong voice for the state's tribal population has been central to his political identity
During the meeting, which came in the backdrop of Gandhi's fierce attack on the Prime Minister over demonetisation, top Congress leaders presented a memorandum to Modi on demands of farmers including loan waiver, reducing power bills to half and remunerative MSP for farm produce.
The farmers have been holding a long foot march from Nashik to Mumbai in a bid to put forward their demands before the government.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had announced his party would waive farm loans within 10 of coming to power in the state.
As scores of farmers and tribals marching towards Mumbai from Nashik district in North Maharashtra entered Thane district, ministers Dada Bhuse and Atul Save met a delegation of farmers late Wednesday night.
Gaurav Mohta, chief marketing officer, Home First Finance Company will answer your home loan queries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the Union Budget as a "people's budget" that fulfills the dreams of every Indian and said that it is a "force-multiplier" that will boost consumption, investment and growth. He highlighted a host of measures for different sectors, including welfare initiatives for gig workers, tax relief for the middle class, and support for the manufacturing sector.
Thackeray also drew a comparison between the current regime and Hitler.
He said farmers need to get good remunerative price for their produce.
Bain Capital-backed Tyger Capital is planning to list its shares on the Indian stock exchanges by the next financial year and is targeting to grow its assets under management by four times to Rs 20,000 crore in five years from Rs 5,000 crore now, Gaurav Gupta, MD and CEO of the firm said. In an exclusive interview, Gupta said that keeping with the growing business, the finance company expects to on-board 600 people in the current financial year as it is opening 60-65 new branches for broad-basing its network in the country.
'The startup ecosystem, the government, and the owners of large pools of Indian capital need to actively support the creation of these local champions, not pull down the teams that are trying hard to get there.'
The Budget assumes significance as it comes on the back of lower-than-expected growth numbers during the second quarter and geopolitical uncertainty.
Experts believe that waiving off farmers' loans is not the right solution to their problems. If the government puts this money in developing protected agricultural practices, drip irrigation facilities, creating aggregators for the farmers to play in the Futures market and teach them the modern farming methods, they will manage the rest. Farmers usually don't get loans from banks and have to go to moneylenders. They mortgage not just their land, but also homes and equipments.
Hoping that credit to farmers would touch the Rs 3 lakh crore mark this year, exceeding the target of Rs 2,80,000 lakh crore, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Friday said several agriculturalists continued to be out of the institutional credit system.
At the PMO, policies are framed by factoring in analytical perspectives, implications, sustainability, and other dimensions.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi thinks that the Constitution of India is 'blank' because he has never read it.
The party also promised reservation to minorities on basis of their population after the caste census.
For 100 low-income families near Lonavala, around 80 km from Mumbai, Jimmy Carter was a godsend as he had helped build their houses in 2006.
Inaugurating the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav, the Prime Minister exuded confidence that villages will play a key role in pushing forward the dream of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Robust procurement of paddy and wheat since 2017 and prompt payment to farmers have helped the UP government cultivate a positive and pro-farmer perception, defusing possible farm face-off situations.
The government on Friday announced loans at a subsidised interest rate of five per cent -- two per cent less than market rate -- for farmers who pay their dues in time.
The Congress on Friday promised that if the party is voted to power in Gujarat, where assembly elections are due by the yearend, it would waive farm loans of up to Rs 3 lakh and provide free electricity for 10 hours daily to farmers in the state.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday told Parliament that the farm debt waiver and relief scheme has benefited 36.4 million farmers and taken care of their Rs 66,477 crore (Rs 664.77 billion) debt burden.
