With an overhang of global and domestic cues, it looks like the equity markets may challenge on hand. Fiscal year 2018-19 is obviously not going to be a year of straightforward positive returns on the index.

The Committee on Doubling Farmers Income (DFI) has called for an overhaul of the registration process for crop inputs like pesticides to ensure speedy availability of patented and off-patent agri-inputs in the country.

A normal, or average, monsoon means rainfall between 96 per cent and 104 per cent of a 50-year average of 89 cm (35 inches) in total during the four-month monsoon season from June, according to the India Meteorological Department's classification.

\"My view is that there will be a lot of focus on the agri sector over the next one year. And it's coming from the prime minister's vision of doubling the farmers' income,\" said newly appointed CII chief and Bharti Enterprises Vice Chairman Rakesh Mittal.

Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. (KOEL), an engineering conglomerate known for its diesel engines, gensets and pumpsets, has made a major foray into the low horse power (HP) tillers to provide cost effective solutions to small and marginal farmers.

RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) has criticised Ramesh Chand, the agriculture expert member in Niti Aayog, for suggesting that the government's plan to expand the scope of MSP to more crops is inflationary.

Swaraj Abhiyan's move will put pressure on the Central Government, which is trying expand the MSP system to more agricultural crops.

Arvind Panagariya, who is currently a professor of economics at Columbia University, further said that predominance of scandals and NPAs in PSBs is only one albeit important reason for privatisation of PSBs.

A draft \"Agriculture Export Policy\" prepared by the Union CommerceMinistry has criticized the practice of imposing curbs on export ofagricultural produce to tame domestic inflation.

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus India has expressed its willingness to set up a manufacturing plant here, but officials hint that this would be contingent on getting a defence deal requiring Make in India.