'Income support better than loan waivers': How to alleviate farm distress

In an interview on agriculture-related policies in India, Sukhpal Singh speaks about the need to make institutional credit available to small farmers, who are often tenants and hence without a title

Bengaluru: Farm distress is a central issue in Indian politics today. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government has acknowledged its salience by announcing the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi income support scheme for small and marginal farmers in its interim budget, while the opposition Congress party has promised “minimum income” guarantees and farm loan waivers if it comes to power.

Income support, as announced in the budget and by the state governments of Odisha (KALIA) and Telangana (Rythu Bandhu), is “definitely better than loan waivers”, says Sukhpal Singh,