In many parameters from ghee to spices to edible oils, the FSSAI has failed to be effective and work in the interest of consumers. The price of FSSAI’s inefficacy is paid by all of us.

The increases in MSPs for various crops only cushion the inflationary blow and is far from getting farmers a “fair price”.

Each year, Indian markets have been trained to cushion inflationary shocks, but market volatility during the past couple of years has broken through the market resilience. 

The demolition of 600-year-old cenotaph of Rao Surajmal, the sidelining of Rajput leadership, and the president's recent visit to City Palace Udaipur have all sparked widespread resentment within the community.

In this episode of Farm Talks, environmental activist Vandana Shiva talks about her recent targeting by US agencies and threats of Big Tech on Indian agriculture.

On the ground, one could clearly hear annoyance and fury over a bid to keep the lid on their voices. So the people of UP have shouted to make sure they are heard. It has national consequences.

Although the tiff between Gadkari and Modi-Shah is long known, it once again came to the fore with reports surfacing recently that the BJP top leadership has actively worked for the defeat of Gadkari in Nagpur. 

From Lucknow to Varanasi, voters are no longer charmed by muscular nationalism and Hindutva. With livelihood issues and inflation becoming poll issues, there is a perceptible voter transfer on the ground from the BJP to INDIA alliance.

Allahabad has been in the news for the campaign rally Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav held here, where youngsters showed no signs of being subdued by the searing heat.

'Everything they have said has turned out to be a lie. Farmers’ incomes have not doubled, the unemployed haven’t gotten jobs, and there were investment meets without any investment. In UP alone, ten examinations and many jobs have been suspended,' the SP chief said.

Long travels in UP in the past few weeks uncovered simmering discomfort and anger amongst what was a loyal and trusted BJP support base, the Rajputs. Their open expression of dissent has forced BJP’s top leaders to firefight. Will it work?

Decoding the UP story for the BJP reveals annoyance with price rise and joblessness, but also fatigue with a one-leader 'sarkar' and bottled up suspicions about a ‘Yogi versus centre’ theme, leading to voter apathy and uninterested voters. A major and dominant 'upper' caste group pulling back support has had an impact on political enthusiasm for the BJP, overall.

The ‘warrior’ communities all over north India – the Rajputs, Sikhs, Jats, Bhils, Pasis and those among Muslims – are splitting from the BJP.

the Congress party, after many years, has a sound agriculture manifesto. The Modi manifesto does not also divulge any details on how the transformation will happen.

What is happening as a response to Parshottam Rupala’s comments could be the Thakurs’ first war cry. If Rajputs across India stand up to fight, Modi’s ashvamedh will be stopped once and for all.

This is not a new problem. Narendra Modi’s first year after the 2014 election was marred by the Dal scam, which resulted in prices of legumes touching Rs 200/kg. Now let’s look at February 2024, food inflation touched 8.66% due to costlier vegetables. 

'Without an MSP, farming won't sustain anywhere. If MSP doesn't become a guarantee, there will be mass rural migration. Youngsters from Haryana are trying to find work in foreign countries because there are no jobs or income in rural areas,' said a farmer at the rally.

The chickens have come home to roost: the effects of  a string of mismanaged wheat policies have now further been exacerbated by the erratic weather.

The objective of the KMC is to go “beyond the recommendations of Swaminathan Commission in the light of challenges arising out of the growing corporate control on the supply of farm inputs resulting in the rising cost of production for farmers and on the markets for agricultural produce leading to the loss of incomes from farming”.  

'Sugarcane farmers are burdened with debt and no government has been able to solve our problem. Today, my family survives because I sell milk. We are in debt because of growing cash crops. I can’t even imagine the fate of farmers who grow non-cash crops,' said a farmer from Haryana's Karnal.