Must Read News Articles – June 13

GS 2

India and neighbors

Panel to study free movement along Myanmar border:

• The Union Home Ministry has constituted another committee to examine methods to curb the misuse of free movement along the Myanmar border, indicating a significant shift in India’s policy towards Myanmar.
• It is a friendly country, with which it shares unfenced borders and unhindered movement of people across the border.

International groupings and agreements

The road from St. Petersburg: (The Hindu, Editorial)

There has been a certain depressing pattern in India-Russia relations over the past decade. Annual summit-level meetings have been marked by expressions of nostalgia for the glory days of Indo-Soviet friendship , declarations of solemn intent to take contemporary relations to new heights and highlighting common perspectives even as the two countries mostly go their respective ways.

GS 3

Cropping pattern, Agriculture, e-technology

Loan waivers:

RBI is preparing list of debtors for insolvency process.

‘Tap newer markets to boost agri exports’:

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) of the Ministry of Commerce in association with the concerned line Ministries is addressing issues relating to market access.

PDS and food processing

The rot in farming: (The Hindu, Editorial)

We must enable a sustainable price discovery for agricultural produce.

More to it than MSP: (The Hindu, Editorial)

Agricultural distress is often viewed as a short-term phenomenon in which farmers look for support from various quarters on account of being unable to get a gainful return due to price crash, poor marketing facilities, rising credit burden, increasing cost of inputs and frequent occurrence of natural calamities.

Indian Economy. Planning, Growth and Employment

CPI inflation slows to lowest since 2012:

It reflects the crisis the farmers are facing because food prices have crashed as a result of bumper crops.’

Monetary Policy Committee: More questions than answers: (Live Mint, Editorial)

• For RBI’s monetary policy committee, achieving the inflation target of 4% on a sustained basis remains ambitious.
• India is nowhere close to ensuring CPI inflation of 4%, especially when the growth accelerates and pricing power returns.

Prelims Related News

Beeline for mating habits of peafowls:

• Peafowls are crucial for the ecosystem as they feed on insects that may harm the crops.
• It helps farmers by keeping a check on the insect population.

Three new sites recognised as biodiversity hotspots in Goa:

The sites have been added to their list of “Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas”.