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The pre-budget <keyword id="20613906" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Economic-Survey" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Economic Survey" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Economic Survey">Economic Survey</keyword> on Monday called for urgent reforms in India's <keyword id="19915424" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="agricultural-sector" source="keywords">agricultural sector</keyword>, warning that the structural issues could impede the country's overall <keyword id="19900794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="economic-growth" source="keywords">economic growth</keyword> trajectory. The survey, tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister <keyword id="19916618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nirmala-sitharaman" source="keywords">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword>, highlighted the untapped potential of the <keyword id="20682012" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-agriculture" source="keywords">Indian agriculture</keyword> sector compared to other economies. Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran called for a pan-India dialogue on the agriculture sector. The survey, presented ahead of the annual budget, emphasised that India has yet to fully leverage its agricultural sector for economic growth and job creation, unlike East Asian economies and Western developed nations. "Indian agriculture is not in a crisis now but requires a serious <keyword id="20544318" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="structural-transformation" source="keywords">structural transformation</keyword> because climate change and water criticality loom large in the times to come," the survey stated. The CEA advocated for a reassessment of existing policies, despite current government subsidies and support measures for farmers. "The payoff will be immense if we untie the knots that bedevil farm sector policies," Nageswaran said in the survey's preface. While the government provides substantial support to farmers through subsidies on water, electricity, and fertilizers, along with income tax exemptions and minimum support prices, there is room for improvement in policy implementation, he added. The survey identified several key challenges, including balancing growth with food inflation management, improving price discovery, and addressing land fragmentation. To address these challenges, the survey recommends multi-pronged reforms, which include: upgrading agricultural technology, enhancing marketing avenues, adopting farming innovations, reducing input wastage, and improving the agriculture-industry linkages. The document stressed the need to shift focus from basic <keyword id="19992806" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="food-security" source="keywords">food security</keyword> to nutritional security, aligning with a 'demand-driven food system' that is both nutritious and environmentally sustainable. The survey suggested that policymakers must strike a delicate balance between incentivizing farmers to increase production and keeping food prices within acceptable limits. "This dual objective requires careful policy interventions." The survey also emphasized the need for a farmer-friendly policy framework to ensure markets function in farmers' interests. It recommended avoiding bans on futures or options markets at the first sign of price spikes; invoking bans only under exceptional circumstances; re-examining the inflation-targeting framework; increasing the total net irrigated area, and aligning farming practices with <keyword id="22505922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-considerations" source="keywords">climate considerations</keyword>. Looking ahead to 2047, the survey highlighted the potential of agriculture and allied sectors (horticulture, livestock, fisheries, dairy, and food processing) for sustained <keyword id="20268655" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="employment-generation" source="keywords">employment generation</keyword>. "To sustain growth for nearly a generation up to 2047 or more and to ensure that it makes people's lives better and fulfills their aspirations, bottom-up reforms are necessary," it noted. It suggested that India may need to reconsider the traditional development model of transitioning from agriculture to industry and services.

Economic Survey calls for urgent agricultural reforms; cites growth hurdles

New Delhi [India], June 5 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (<keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bjp" source="keywords">BJP</keyword>)-led National Democratic Alliance (<keyword id="19938590" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NDA" source="keywords">NDA</keyword>) secured a majority in the general elections, securing a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This victory indicates continuity in policy, particularly in <keyword id="21785272" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="infrastructure-spending" source="keywords">infrastructure spending</keyword> and boosting domestic manufacturing, which are expected to support robust <keyword id="19900794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="economic-growth" source="keywords">economic growth</keyword>. However, the NDA's slim margin of victory and the BJP's loss of an outright majority in parliament may slow down more extensive economic and fiscal reforms, potentially impeding <keyword id="20101140" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fiscal-consolidation" source="keywords">fiscal consolidation</keyword> efforts. In fiscal 2023-24, India's real GDP accelerated to 8.2 per cent from 7.0 per cent the previous year, driven by significant gains in gross fixed capital formation as the government's infrastructure programs gained momentum, even as private consumption remained subdued. <keyword id="20227907" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Moodys" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Moody's" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Moody's">Moody's</keyword> projects India's economic strength to continue, with an anticipated real <keyword id="19972825" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GDP-growth" source="keywords">GDP growth</keyword> of around 7 per cent over the three-year period from fiscal 2023-24 to 2025-26. This growth is expected to benefit from ongoing infrastructure development and digitalization efforts. Despite this outlook, structural weaknesses pose risks to long-term growth potential. High youth unemployment and low productivity growth in the agriculture sector constrain economic expansion. The agricultural sector's modernization has been stalled by political challenges, as evidenced by the repeal of key reforms in 2021 following widespread farmer protests. Additionally, gains in manufacturing have been uneven, limiting labour force diversification away from agriculture, which still accounts for 40 per cent of total employment. Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have declined over the past three years, despite a favourable geopolitical climate amid US-China tensions. This trend suggests persistent constraints within India's investment climate. To address these challenges, further structural reforms and enhanced implementation of existing initiatives, such as the production-linked incentive schemes to promote manufacturing, calibrated liberalisation of cross-border trade, and reconsideration of labour reforms, are necessary. The government's focus on fiscal consolidation is expected to continue, but significant improvements in debt ratios and interest servicing have yet to be realised. Since the trough in fiscal 2020-21, the central government's deficit has likely narrowed for three consecutive years. The interim budget for fiscal 2024-25 projects a deficit of around 5 per cent of GDP, aiming for a 4.5 per cent deficit by fiscal 2025-26. However, India's fiscal consolidation post-pandemic has not outpaced other emerging markets in Asia-Pacific, and its fiscal and debt metrics remain weaker than those of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and other Baa-rated peers globally. India's general government debt is projected to stabilise above 80 per cent of GDP over the next three years, compared to 70.5 per cent in fiscal 2018-19. General government interest payments are forecast to fall to around 24 per cent of general government revenue over the next two years, down from over 28 per cent in fiscal 2020-21, but still higher than the pre-pandemic ratio of less than 23 per cent. While increased budgetary allocations for infrastructure indicate an improvement in spending quality, debt servicing remains a significant portion of expenditure, reflecting ongoing constraints on fiscal flexibility. This situation underscores the need for the incoming government to balance fiscal consolidation with growth-supportive measures. The upcoming final budget for the fiscal year ending March 2025 will provide further insights into India's fiscal policy direction through 2029. As the Modi administration embarks on its third term, the focus will likely remain on sustaining economic growth while addressing the persistent <keyword id="21500054" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fiscal-challenges" source="keywords">fiscal challenges</keyword> that hinder India's long-term economic potential.

Modi 3.0 will offer policy continuity, but BJP's loss of outright majority may slow down fiscal reforms: Moody's

<ul><li>Citing the example of other industries where there are no restrictions on how producers sell their products, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that farmers should have the choice to sell their produce at attractive prices. </li><li>To this end, Sitharaman said that the government will formulate a central law that will provide barrier-free inter-state trade, along with a framework for online trading of agricultural produce. </li><li>However, for this to pass muster, the government will have to garner support from the opposition parties and farmer bodies, who think APMCs are needed to ensure farmers get a good price for their produce. </li></ul>The Modi government is using COVID-19 crisis to push through the <keyword id="6366428" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="APMC">APMC</keyword> reforms it has been talking about for a long time. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made the announcement in the third tranche of the Covid-19 stimulus package today, May 15. Making the announcement, Sitharaman said that this move will give the choice to sell their produce at attractive prices, instead of being tied down to their local APMCs (Agriculture Produce Market Committee). “When you create competition for farmers’ produce, the price improves. There are more buyers, more choices. Farmers will get the benefits of that. Whether you have one buyer or ten buyers for a service makes a difference,” said Ashok Gulati, former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75756781" title="These are the top takeaways from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's third installment from Modi's ₹20 lakh crore stimulus" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> APMC reforms might hit a roadblock in non-BJP ruled states Modi has been batting for APMC reforms for a long time now. “It is imperative to swiftly undertake market reforms of our decades old and restricted agriculture produce and marketing committee (APMC) architecture,” PM Modi <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/M6HMO4jTZrn1iwwbypaEbL/Narendra-Modi-calls-for-swift-APMC-reforms-to-benefit-farmer.html">said</a> in a letter to Chief Ministers in 2018. However, these reforms might hit a roadblock in non-BJP ruled states. “The APMCs have existed since 1963 and there is a good reason they have been around for such a long time. Reform is welcome but it cannot endanger an existing structure. Our party will oppose this proposal if and when it comes before the legislature," a NCP leader was quoted as saying by <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/reRgHJ4NW4Sl4EJMXRyzHJ/APMC-reforms-in-Maharashtra-hit-a-roadblock.html">Livemint</a>. Those who favour the existing APMC structure <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysuru/farmers-oppose-proposed-amendment-to-apmc-act/articleshow/75744758.cms">argue</a> that diluting APMC reforms will give power to multinational companies and corporates. They are also concerned about minimum support price guarantee, without price regulation in place. So far, only BJP-ruled states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have passed APMC reforms. The Karnataka government issued an ordinance, but it was <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/bengaluru-governor-returns-apmc-reforms-ordinance/articleshow/75729589.cms">returned</a> by the state governor earlier today. Sitharaman says the changes will empower farmers Making the announcement, Sitharaman said that farmers should have the freedom of choice to sell their agricultural produce at attractive prices. Further, she said that no other industry restricts producers from selling their product to whomever they want, and at their desired prices. To solve this problem, Sitharaman said that the central government is working on a law. This will remove barriers to inter-state trade and allow farmers to sell their produce to the highest bidder, which should result in increasing their incomes. Apart from this, she also said that a framework for online trading of agricultural produce will also be worked upon. It is likely that this framework will be on the lines of e-NAM, which is a national agriculture market with an online trading platform for farmers. What’s wrong with APMCs? APMCs were set up with the intention to increase farmers’ incomes by making it easier to sell their produce without having to deal with commission agents. However, the government criminalised setting up of competing markets in the same area, essentially creating a monopoly in the form of APMCs. This led to traders forming cartels to artificially lower prices of the agriculture produce they buy from farmers. A 2012 <a href="https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/AO.pdf">report</a> by the Competition Commission of India cites the example of a visit to Ahmednagar APMC which revealed collusion among traders. These traders then sell the produce at higher prices to end consumers. While APMCs were formed to benefit farmers, it’s the traders who end up milking both farmers as well as consumers. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/essential-commodities-act-to-deregulate-price-of-potatoes-onions-and-pulses/articleshow/75758676.cms">India proposes to deregulate prices of onions, potatoes, pulses and other essential food — prices won’t be capped and one can store as much as needed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/policy/news/what-is-essential-commodities-act-that-nirmala-sitharaman-wants-to-amend/articleshow/75759156.cms">What is the Essential Commodities Act – the 65-year old act that FM Nirmala Sitharaman said will now be amended</a>

Modi is using the COVID-19 crisis to push through APMC reforms he has wanted for long⁠— but states may oppose

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Senate parliamentarian said <keyword id="12134722" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="immigration-reform" source="Orion">immigration reform</keyword> can't be part of the $3.5 trillion bill.</li><li>She ruled it is incompatible with the "reconciliation" mechanism being used to pass it without the GOP.</li><li>The decision effectively means that any moves to reform the system will need Republican support. </li></ul>A Senate official on Sunday ruled that Democrats will not be able to include immigration reform measures in their sweeping $3.5 trillion stimulus bill.The decision, by Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, is a harsh blow to Democrats hoping to squeeze changes to the system past with their tiny Congressional majority.The Biden administration and Democrats had hoped to ease immigration rules and provide a path to citizenship for millions of migrants, a plan put in jeopardy by MacDonough's decision.She was able to make the ruling because she oversees the application of the so-called "<keyword id="12134726" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="budget-reconciliation" source="Orion">budget reconciliation</keyword>" process, which allows certain financial measures to pass by a smaller margin than usual.Without that loophole, Democrats would need to find support from Senate Republicans for their plans, an unlikely prospect.MacDonough said: "Changing the law to clear the way to [legal permanent resident] status is tremendous and enduring policy change that dwarfs [any potential] budgetary impact," said MacDonough in documents explaining the decision, reported <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-e590795e4593feccb2d966090a633be7">the Associated Press. </a>If Democrats decide to try and pass the immigration reform as a conventional Senate bill, it'd require 60 votes to pass and is all but certain to be blocked by Republicans. Progressives and Democrats have long sought to provide a path to citizenship for migrants from certain key groups who currently inhabit a sort of legal limbo.They include so-called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/daca-restored-in-a-massive-legal-win-for-immigrants-2020-12?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">"Dreamers" who were brought to the US as children</a>, have lived in the US for their entire lives, but have no formal citizenship.Other groups affected include some refugees allowed into the US because they were fleeing disasters or other catastrophes, and essential workers for sectors such as agriculture are others. "We are deeply disappointed in this decision but the fight to provide lawful status for immigrants in budget reconciliation continues," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement."Senate Democrats have prepared alternate proposals and will be holding additional meetings with the Senate parliamentarian in the coming days."Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell attacked the Democrats, saying: "Democratic leaders refused to resist their progressive base and stand up for the rule of law, even though our border has never been less secure."He said that attempting to pass the reforms using budget reconciliation were illegal. The overall bill is President <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/whats-in-the-3-trillion-biden-infrastructure-plan-democrats-are-working-on-2021-8?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Joe Biden's signature piece of legislation, </a>and will aim to fund a wide range of economic, green energy, infrastructure and social care reforms. Democrats are aiming to pass the bill over the next few weeks.

A Senate official dashed Democrats' hopes of expanding citizenship for migrants in the $3.5 trillion budget bill

<ul><li>Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today announced much-needed reforms in the <keyword id="9233360" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="atomic-energy-sector">atomic energy sector</keyword>.</li><li>The announcement included two reforms that invite <keyword id="53482" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Private-sector">private sector</keyword> participation in the consumer application of <keyword id="51931" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="atomic-energy">atomic energy</keyword>, including medical isotopes for cancer treatment and irradiation technology for the agriculture sector.</li><li>In addition to this, Sitharaman is also looking to tap into the start-up ecosystem to bring innovation in this sector.</li></ul>Using the Covid-19 crisis as an opportunity, India is opening up the atomic energy sector for private sector participation. While private sector participation in the highly sensitive atomic energy sector might seem risky, the announcements made by Sitharaman relate to the application of atomic energy in the fields of medicine, agriculture and nuclear research. "Today’s announcement on linking India’s start up eco-system to the nuclear sector through Technology Development cum Incubation Centers is welcome. However, the mechanism should address typical “valley of death” issues which hinder the lab to market journey. Similar experiences in other countries suggest that incentivizing market leading companies to join the R&amp;D efforts may help," said Arindam Guha, Partner, Deloitte India. Government turns to the private sector and start-up ecosystem for innovation in the atomic energy sector The Indian government’s <keyword id="9233361" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="atomic-energy-reforms">atomic energy reforms</keyword> look to tap into the bustling start-up ecosystem and the private sector for innovation and research in the atomic energy sector. While two of the three reforms related to the consumer application of atomic energy, the third reform relates to innovation and research in this sector. Here are all the atomic <keyword id="2564570" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="energy-reforms">energy reforms</keyword> announced by Sitharaman: <ul><li>Establish a research reactor in public-private partnership (PPP) mode for production of medical isotopes – this will help in developing affordable treatment for cancer and other diseases.</li><li>Establish facilities in PPP mode to use irradiation technology for food preservation – this will compliment agricultural reforms and assist farmers.</li><li>Link the start-up ecosystem to the nuclear sector – technology development cum incubation centres will be set up for developing synergy between research facilities and tech-entrepreneurs.</li></ul>Public sector companies have a monopoly on atomic energy – until now So far, India’s atomic energy sector was dominated by public sector companies like the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, Uranium Corporation of India and others. Now, these announcements will encourage the private sector to invest time and money into atomic energy. The first few benefits could show up in the pharmaceutical sector, giving an opportunity to top oncology pharma companies in India like Novartis Oncology, Roche, Celgene among others to develop affordable treatment for cancer and other diseases. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/now-day-four-of-nirmala-sitharamans-stimulus-plan-as-india-preps-for-lockdown-4-0/articleshow/75774080.cms">Now, fourth tranche of Nirmala Sitharaman's stimulus plan as India preps for lockdown 4.0</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-sets-up-fund-for-cold-storage-for-farm-products-startups-are-eligible/articleshow/75758088.cms">India now has a ₹1 lakh crore fund to boost farm products storage ⁠— and startups are invited too</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/news/bjp-narendra-modi-nirmala-sitharaman-push-agriculture-apmc-reform/articleshow/75760189.cms">Modi is using the COVID-19 crisis to push through APMC reforms he has wanted for long ⁠— but states may oppose</a>

India opens nuclear energy space to private players but for cancer research and other consumer applications only

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="8931586" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19-relief">COVID-19 relief</keyword> bill has a $5 billion provision that will forgive debts for farmers of color.</li><li>Democratic Sen. <keyword id="307904" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Raphael-Warnock">Raphael Warnock</keyword> of Georgia led the push for the inclusion of the funding.</li><li>Farmers of color, and especially <keyword id="10886284" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="black-farmers">Black farmers</keyword>, faced years of discrimination by federal officials.</li></ul>For over a century, Black farmers <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/opinion/black-farmers-covid-relief.html">faced discrimination</a> from the US Department of Agriculture and were largely excluded from federal loans and farm improvement initiatives.In an effort led by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, the $1.9 trillion <a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr1319/BILLS-117hr1319eh.pdf">COVID-19 relief bill</a> that passed on Saturday includes a $5 billion provision that will forgive debts for Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and other farmers of color, to enable reforms that will assist farmers with building generational wealth.Last week, Warnock, Georgia's first Black senator, praised the incorporation of the <a href="https://www.warnock.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Emergency-Relief-for-Farmers-of-Color-Act-of-2021.pdf">Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act</a> into the COVID-19 bill.He said that Democrats sought to "ensure equity in our recovery efforts and address longstanding injustices that have left some communities behind for far too long" and pledged that the aid "will not only help farmers of color, but will also lift up the economies of our rural communities working to recover from the economic turndown," <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/reparations-black-farmers-warnock-covid-relief-package-1136193/">according to Rolling Stone</a>.Due to systemic racism from both private lenders and government officials, many Black farmers did not have set deed structures that allowed for properties to be passed down in whole, which created fractional ownership setups.Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee, strongly backed the effort, lauding Warnock for "coming in and and working to embrace this and get it over the line right away," according to Rolling Stone.In 1910, 14% of farmers in the US were Black, compared to 2% today, something that Stabenow highlighted."When you look at one of the very first ways that there was racial discrimination after slavery was legally abolished, it was lack of support for black farmers," she said, adding that they "were discriminated against in terms of land ownership."Last year, Democratic Sen. <keyword id="941882" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cory-Booker">Cory Booker</keyword> of New Jersey introduced "The Justice for Black Farmers Act," <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/bill-black-farmers-reclaim-millions-acres-step-direction/story?id=74394647">which would allow</a> Black farmers to individually reclaim 160 acres through a system of land grants to address racial discrimination in federal agricultural policy."Overtly discriminatory and unjust federal policy has robbed Black families in the United States of the ability to build and pass on intergenerational wealth," he said in a statement. "When it comes to <keyword id="6386447" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="farming">farming</keyword> and agriculture, we know that there is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA [US Department of Agriculture] and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century."Booker reintroduced his bill last month with cosponsors Warnock, Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and Patrick Leahy of Vermont.

The COVID-19 relief bill includes $5 billion in aid for farmers of color who have long faced discrimination by federal officials

New Delhi, Feb 17 () The 15th Finance Commission on Monday decided to set up an eight-member high level expert group headed by ITC chairman Sanjiv Puri to recommend strategies and measures to increase farm productivity and boost exports.The panel will recommend measurable performance incentives for States to encourage agri exports as well as to promote crops to enable high import substitution, the Finance Commission said in a statement. The committee will submit its recommendations within three months for further consideration of the Commission, it said.As per the Terms of Reference, the panel would "assess export and import substitution opportunities for Indian agricultural products (commodities, semi processed and processed) in the changing international trade scenario and suggest ways to step up exports sustainably and reduce import dependence."It will also recommend strategies and measures to increase farm productivity, enable higher value addition, ensure waste reduction, strengthen logistics infrastructure etc. related to Indian agriculture, to improve the sector's global competitiveness.The panel is expected to identify the impediments for private sector investments along the agricultural value chain and suggest policy measures and reforms that would help attract the required investments.The committee will also suggest appropriate performance-based incentives to the state governments for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26, to accelerate reforms in the agriculture sector as well as implement other policy measures in this regard. Apart from Puri, other members of the committee also included former Agriculture Secretary Radha Singh Nestle India CMD Suresh Narayanan, UPL CEO Jay Shroff and RIS Director General Sachin Chaturvedi. DP MRMR

Finance Commission constitutes expert group on agriculture exports

<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/better-capitalism"></a><div type="image" title="ebt snap food stamps" height="1346" width="2000" msid="77489518" hostid="261"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-mark-cuban-ray-dalio-billionaires-inequality-coronavirus-2020-5">Financiers, business leaders</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/capitalism-in-crisis-how-to-fix-capitalism-for-workers-2020-6">regular folks</a> are increasingly calling on political leaders to reshape <keyword id="6497689" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Capitalism">capitalism</keyword> and address rampant racial inequality in the US.</li><li>As policymakers try to address the coronavirus pandemic, experts point to the ways past US policies boosted quality of life for white Americans while leaving Black Americans behind.</li><li>Researchers agree that white Americans greatly benefited from New Deal programs and post-World War II policy, while Black Americans were discriminated against; then, when Black Americans started to access <keyword id="6365564" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="welfare">welfare</keyword> benefits at a higher rate starting in the 1970s, there was backlash among conservatives.</li><li>These policies have had a cumulative effect over generations and help explain the massive wealth gap between Black and white Americans and the reason Black Americans are overrepresented in welfare programs.</li></ul>When President Donald Trump met with the Congressional Black Caucus in 2018, the topic of <keyword id="1461900" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="welfare-reform">welfare reform</keyword> came up. One member of the caucus told Trump that enforcing stricter rules would be detrimental to her constituents, "Not all of whom are Black," according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-s-history-breaking-decorum-remarks-race-ethnicity-n837181">NBC News</a>.The president is said to have replied, "Really? Then what are they?" apparently assuming that a welfare recipient couldn't be white.In fact, far more white people have benefited from US welfare programs over the years — reflecting their greater share of the population — while Black people and other people of color have been denied them in various ways, multiple historians and researchers tell Business Insider.The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the underbelly of American inequality in many ways, with people of color disproportionately likely to be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-women-hurt-by-coronavirus-pandemic-survey-lean-in-data-2020-4">laid off, to be on the financial brink</a>, and to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-hispanic-people-coronavirus-deaths-under-65-cdc-report-2020-7">die from the virus</a>. That has helped prompt a growing chorus of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-mark-cuban-ray-dalio-billionaires-inequality-coronavirus-2020-5">financiers, business leaders</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/capitalism-in-crisis-how-to-fix-capitalism-for-workers-2020-6">regular folks</a> to call for a reimagining of American capitalism and for moves to end racial inequality. Some top economists are calling for a "<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stanford-economist-us-needs-new-new-deal-great-depression-coronavirus-2020-4-1029113813#">New New Deal</a>" specifically targeting inequality, a platform to which the Democratic presidential candidate <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/05/joe-biden-presidential-plans.html">Joe Biden</a> seems open.If the country is to move forward in trying to lift Americans out of unemployment and poverty, policymakers might consider who has benefited most from past welfare policies and how such policies have helped produce today's world.Business Insider talked to four economic researchers and historians, and analyzed the past 90 years of welfare policy, when considering the question of who the status quo actually benefits.<a href="http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/polsci/faculty/schram/sanford-schram">Sanford Schram</a>, a political-science professor at CUNY Hunter, who wrote "Disciplining the Poor" and "Hard White," puts it bluntly: "I do think the federal government has been complicit in the perpetuation of race-based discrimination that has led to African Americans lagging behind whites. No question about it."<h2>The New Deal brought jobs to Americans, but different kinds of jobs for different races</h2>The US government has spent trillions of dollars trying to prop up its <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword> during the coronavirus pandemic, but it has stopped short of a "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wartime-economy-what-us-will-look-like-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-2020-3">wartime economy</a>"-style mobilization or the kind of massive public-works program that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stanford-economist-us-needs-new-new-deal-great-depression-coronavirus-2020-4">some experts have said is badly needed</a> to stem double-digit unemployment.But the Black Lives Matter movement — given new urgency after George Floyd's killing by the police in Minneapolis in late May — has exposed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-deal-racial-inequality-worse-covid-19-response-do-better-2020-5">a separate problematic legacy</a> of the New Deal, the series of policies enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to get the US out of the Great Depression of the 1930s. It was introduced in an era defined by segregation and explicit racism.It's true that Roosevelt appointed several Black leaders to prominent leadership positions within his administration, known as the "Black Cabinet," and his policies helped make thousands of jobs newly available to Black Americans, but as Ibram X. Kendi points out in "Stamped from the Beginning," policies enacted at the time reflected a racist culture.When the New Deal got Americans back to work, white Americans got the first pick at jobs, and when Black Americans did get jobs, they were given lower wages, according to the <a href="https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&amp;psid=34473447">University of Houston's Digital History Project</a>."State and local governments administered almost all federal New Deal programs, and many of these state and local government leaders, especially in the South, were virtually all white ... and racist," <a href="https://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/about-us/staff/gary-orfield-ph.d">Gary Orfield</a>, a professor of education, law, political science, and urban planning at the University of California at Los Angeles, told Business Insider.<div type="image" title="great depression" height="1500" width="2000" msid="77489520" hostid="261"></div>Also, Black people were <a href="https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1409&amp;context=csd_researcharch">excluded</a> from key <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/social-science-history/article/left-out-policy-diffusion-and-the-exclusion-of-black-workers-from-unemployment-insurance/BB47A78FB42748203E43CBDF1AABE8F2/core-reader">benefits</a> created during this period. The Social Security Act of 1935, for instance, prohibited domestic and agricultural workers (an outsize number of whom were Black or Latino) from receiving benefits.Black workers were also excluded from progressive labor regulations passed during that time, <a href="https://www.hillsdale.edu/faculty/paul-moreno/">Paul Moreno</a>, a history professor who is the dean of social sciences at Hillsdale College, told Business Insider.The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 — commonly known as the Wagner Act for Sen. Robert Wagner, who proposed it — bolstered the strength of worker unions, but many major unions of this era either excluded Black workers or discriminated against them."Many unions had explicit clauses in their constitutions that said that only whites could be members," Moreno said. "So you could have a situation where an employer was forced to bargain with an exclusively white union and he'd have to fire all of his Black employees."Because discrimination was still legal when it came to jobs, Black Americans were routinely denied well-paying positions and were much more likely to be hired for low-wage work, according to Orfield, the professor at UCLA."A lot of policies were designed that simply left out Black Americans who were sharecroppers and were doing low-wage work, which was excluded from some of the labor regulations," he said.<div type="image" title="New Deal, 1930s" height="1471" width="2222" msid="77489524" hostid="261"></div>Elsewhere in the economy, interpretation of New Deal policies wound up hurting Black Americans. The Federal Housing Administration was created in this era, with the goal of creating affordable housing for as many Americans as possible. But local interpretation of this mission resulted in "redlining," a policy in which mortgage credit was denied in majority-Black neighborhoods.The FHA continued to encourage racist policies into the postwar era, when the American suburbs were being built. In 1948, the Supreme Court outlawed "<a href="https://www.mappingprejudice.org/what-are-covenants/index.html#what">restrictive covenants</a>" — a clause that essentially prevented Black Americans from buying property from white owners — yet the FHA still encouraged builders to write them into their agreements well past 1948, according to Orfield.<div type="image" title="racist sign, 1940s" height="1740" width="2222" msid="77489527" hostid="261"></div>White veterans of World War II were given zero-down-payment, 30-year guaranteed mortgages under the GI Bill."With zero cash, you, white veterans, could get into owning a brand-new home," Orfield told Business Insider. "That door was not open for Black and Latinos."A house someone bought at the time for $12,000 or $15,000 in mortgage payments, he said, might be worth $300,000 decades later."That's a gigantic wealth creator and a gigantic middle-class escalator," he said, one Black Americans missed out on and couldn't pass along to their children.<h2>Welfare reform greatly benefited Black Americans — and was almost immediately unpopular for it</h2>One of the largest government programs in the post-New Deal era, President Lyndon B. Johnson's "<a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/presidents/lyndonbjohnson">Great Society</a>" sought to remedy the racial wealth gap. During the 1960s, the median Black family income rose 53%, while Black employment doubled in professional, technical, and clerical occupations, and average Black educational attainment increased by four years, University of Houston history professors <a href="https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&amp;psid=33333333">write</a>. The proportion of Black people below the poverty line went from 55% in 1960 to just 27% by 1968.<div type="image" title="President Lyndon Johnson" height="1667" width="2222" msid="77489531" hostid="261"></div>Even at the height of the Great Society, Black Americans constituted only about 27% of all welfare recipients, according to <a href="https://afro.illinois.edu/directory/profile/schajua">Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua</a>, an associate history professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Most recipients were white Americans."From the Great Society moving forward, one could say that white people, because of their numbers and percentage of the population, have always constituted the largest number of people" on welfare, Cha-Jua told Business Insider, adding that "Black people, Latinx, American Indians, because of their oppressed condition, have constituted a much greater percentage than their percent of the population."But as the anti-discriminatory practices from Johnson's presidency were enforced and Black Americans were allowed to participate in new benefit programs, there was a dramatic shift in public perception about government subsidies — to the negative."Public assistance was not as demonized until African Americans began to exercise their right to use it, ironically," Schram said. "And that's when welfare started to be seen as this inferior program for nonwhite people who didn't play by the white middle-class rules of work and family."This shift was propelled forward by President <keyword id="191987" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ronald-Reagan">Ronald Reagan</keyword>, whose campaign speeches about the <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/20/255819681/the-truth-behind-the-lies-of-the-original-welfare-queen">now-debunked</a> "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1976/02/15/archives/welfare-queen-becomes-issue-in-reagan-campaign-hitting-a-nerve-now.html">welfare queen</a>" stoked racist fear among white Americans.<div type="image" title="Ronald Reagan" height="1767" width="2826" msid="77489534" hostid="261"></div>"He really tightened the eligibility requirements," Schram said. "He made it more difficult for you to get welfare even after you started to work."For example, Reagan <a href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/aid-families-dependent-children-afdc-and-temporary-assistance-needy-families-tanf-overview-0">cut spending</a> to the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, which provided cash assistance to low-income children whose father or mother was absent from the home, incapacitated, deceased, or unemployed. This forced struggling mothers and families further into poverty, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/07/29/reagan-welfare-cuts-found-to-worsen-families-poverty/077278f9-a875-4791-9c34-d1cf3cd148b5/">research funded by The Ford Foundation found</a>.The social-welfare-policy researcher <a href="https://profiles.howard.edu/profile/35131/sandra-edmonds-crewe">Sandra Edmonds Crewe</a>, who is the dean of Howard University's School of Social Work, described such policies by conservative policymakers as a direct response to Black participation in the system."There is always a backlash that comes after progression — always," Crewe told Business Insider, likening the backlash against welfare expansion to the resurgence of white nationalism in response to Barack Obama's presidency.Instead of receiving an opportunity to be lifted out of poverty, many Black Americans remained disenfranchised.Reagan's legacy, however, was solidified by a Democratic president, <keyword id="10212" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bill-Clinton">Bill Clinton</keyword>, who promised to "change welfare as we have come to know it." By <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4487675/">replacing</a> the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program with a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant, he dramatically reduced the size of welfare programs. "TANF really did change welfare as we knew it," Schram said.<div type="image" title="Bill Clinton" height="3150" width="4721" msid="77489539" hostid="261"></div>Before Clinton, about 75% of people who were eligible for welfare were receiving it. But by 2000, four years after Clinton's program was enacted, only about 25% were, Schram's research found.In other words, at a time when Black Americans were given significantly more access to public assistance, measures were enacted to make assistance harder to access."When we do get included in the <keyword id="465398" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="welfare-state">welfare state</keyword>, in the Great Society programs, we are stigmatized for it," Cha-Jua, who is Black, said.<h2>How this legacy is playing out today</h2>The racial wealth gap in the US not only persists — it's <a href="https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2020/01/09/trends-in-income-and-wealth-inequality/#:~:text=The%20greatest%20loss%20%E2%80%93%2039%25%20%E2%80%93,doubled%20from%201989%20to%202016.">growing</a>. For every $100 in wealth held by a white family today, a Black family has just $10, per research from <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/recent-trends-in-wealth-holding-by-race-and-ethnicity-evidence-from-the-survey-of-consumer-finances-20170927.htm">the Federal Reserve's 2017 "Survey of Consumer Finances."</a>A recent analysis of homeownership by the <a href="https://fredblog.stlouisfed.org/2019/04/hidden-figures-in-homeownership/?utm_source=series_page&amp;utm_medium=related_content&amp;utm_term=related_resources&amp;utm_campaign=fredblogign=fredblog">Fed</a> noted that homeownership by race seemed similar to the <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/recent-trends-in-wealth-holding-by-race-and-ethnicity-evidence-from-the-survey-of-consumer-finances-20170927.htm">wealth distribution by race</a>.The difference in homeownership can also be seen at the geographic level, per research from the <a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/mapping-black-homeownership-gap">Urban Institute</a>.Today, white people still make up a plurality of those on welfare programs such as TANF or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. A Department of Agriculture report from November estimated that <a href="https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/resource-files/Characteristics2018.pdf">35.7% of SNAP recipients in the 2018 fiscal year were white</a>, 25.1% were Black, 16.7% were Hispanic, 3% were Asian, and 1.5% were Native American (0.8% were listed as multiple races, while 17.4% were listed as "race unknown").Enrollment by race for Medicaid and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children show similar enrollment as those in SNAP.Black people make up just 13.4% of the US population and are therefore overrepresented in welfare programs. When asked why this was the case, Crewe of Howard University had a simple answer: "systemic inequality."Without more intervention, inequality will continue to reproduce itself, Crewe said. Orfield of UCLA agreed.This is especially true today, as Congress decides whether to give Americans cash assistance after the temporary $600 increase weekly unemployment benefits expired July 31.Black and brown workers are more likely to report being in financial hardship right now.A <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/19UkIM_LtTUj02El9Hw7U03-ybv0sCGUNTYGdnrHz7FU/edit">survey</a> by the organization Lean In with Survey Monkey in early April people found that Black women were twice as likely as white men to say they were laid off or furloughed during the pandemic. New <a href="https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiNzRhYjg2NzAtMGE1MC00NmNjLTllOTMtYjM2NjFmOTA4ZjMyIiwidCI6Ijc5MGJmNjk2LTE3NDYtNGE4OS1hZjI0LTc4ZGE5Y2RhZGE2MSIsImMiOjN9">analysis</a> by the global advisory firm <a href="https://www.stout.com/en/">Stout Risius Ross</a> found that only 26% of African American tenants said they felt highly confident they could pay their mortgage payments on time right now, compared with almost half of white Americans, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/27/how-the-eviction-crisis-will-impact-each-state.html">CNBC</a> reports."My view of this," Orfield said, "is if you're in a society that's completely stratified by race and ethnicity, basically what you've got is a system that guarantees inequality unless you specifically decide to change it."

How decades of US welfare policies lifted up the white middle class and largely excluded Black Americans

New Delhi, Jan 28 () India has pitched for elimination of trade-distorting subsidies on agriculture and ensuring differential treatment to developing countries by the WTO members, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday.
 Quoting Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, it said that during his participation in an informal ministerial gathering in Davos last week, he also made a case for working out a permanent solution for public stockholding for food security purposes.
 During his intervention at the gathering, he said the current challenges throw up some key priorities for the forthcoming ministerial meeting of WTO members in June in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
 On the World Trade Organization's (WTO) appellate body for dispute settlement, he said early restoration of the full strength of the body will help in realising the objectives of the WTO.
 "The agenda for WTO reforms should be balanced and inclusive, to address the historic asymmetries in the Uruguay Round agreements" he said.
 He said that a "good starting point for the reform agenda" of the WTO would be "removing the imbalances" in the agreement on agriculture, and ensuring a level-playing field, particularly for developing economies.
 He further said that as long-standing proponents of WTO reform, developing countries have, for almost 20 years, sought the elimination of unequal and trade-distorting entitlements in the Agreement on Agriculture.
 "Another positive step will be to build upon the work of the last several years, and to implement existing mandates such as a permanent solution for public stockholding for food security purposes," he said.
 The minister also said developing countries, particularly the least-developed countries (LDCs), have not been able to achieve an equitable share in world trade, therefore, the continued availability of special and differential treatment, for these countries, is imperative for them to address their development aspirations.
 Goyal said the reform process should not be used to further restrict the flexibilities, and policy space required by developing countries, to better integrate with the global trading system.
 "It should open more opportunities for them, taking into account the contrasting levels of prosperity, unequal levels of economic development, and vast disparity in human development indicators, so that global trade becomes sustainable," he added.
 Goyal said that significant outcome at Kazakhstan is essential, for further strengthening the role of the WTO in global trade.
 "To achieve this, he added that it is necessary to put in place a structured process that will help finalise a limited list of focussed, doable and fair proposals, that may be concluded at MC12 (12th ministerial conference meet)," he said.
 Talking about fisheries subsidies, he said unregulated industrial fishing by some nations, has led to a major depletion of the global marine stock.
 "There is an urgent need for strong disciplines to regulate harmful fisheries subsidies in order to ensure the sustainable use of marine resources for securing inter-generational equity," he said.
 The minister cautioned that countries need to be cognizant of the existence of a large population of subsistence and artisanal fishermen in LDCs and developing countries who rely on fishing for their basic livelihood.
 He urged that as they have no other livelihood options, all nations must collectively care for this vulnerable population of marginalised fishermen.
 " Adequate policy space, to ensure a decent standard of living for subsistence-level fishermen, by modernizing their fishing fleet and expanding their fishing capacity, is a critical outcome for India," he said. RR CS RR HRS

India for elimination of trade-distorting subsidies on agriculture in WTO

New Delhi, Amid the coronavirus pandemic when the pace of manufacturing and services sector came to a grinding halt, <keyword id="6355165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="agriculture">agriculture</keyword> and allied sectors in India have picked up pace as the country saw the strength of the farm sector. The <keyword id="26362" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government">government</keyword> also took care of a large population of the country related to agriculture and farming and enacted new laws to intensify the winds of improvement in the agricultural sector. The <keyword id="6358021" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="budget">Budget</keyword> 2021-22 is going to be presented in <keyword id="6354721" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="parliament">Parliament</keyword> on Monday, amid wrangling over agricultural reform. In such a situation, it is expected that the Modi government, which claims to give priority to the progress of villages, the poor and <keyword id="45092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmers">farmers</keyword>, will also give priority to agriculture and rural development in the upcoming Budget. According to the Economic Review 2020-21, while the industry and services sectors are projected to fall by 9.6 per cent and 8.8 per cent, respectively, in the current financial year, the growth rate of agriculture and allied sectors can remain at 3.4 per cent. The agriculture and allied sectors recorded a growth rate of 3.4 per cent at constant prices during FY 2020-21 (first advance estimate). The Modi government's priority has been to double the income of farmers by 2022 and to develop basic facilities in villages including 'pucca' houses for all the poor in the country. Therefore, with a view to achieving these goals, the budgetary allocation of major schemes of agriculture and rural development sector can be expected to increase in the upcoming Budget. A senior official of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said that farmers' awareness about all the schemes of agriculture sector including Prime Minister <keyword id="7283018" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="kisan-samman-nidhi">Kisan Samman Nidhi</keyword> (PM-KISAN) is continuously increasing and the benefits of these schemes are beginning to be seen at the ground level. The government will also focus on the scheme to provide short-term agricultural loans to farmers at affordable interest rates. Other schemes of the agriculture sector, including the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, the Prime Minister Agricultural Irrigation Scheme, can also be given importance in this budget. Agricultural economists point out that along with agriculture, the government will give prominence to the plans of the food processing industry, which will help in achieving the goal of doubling the income of farmers. Major schemes for the development of villages proved to be very helpful in providing employment opportunities to the workers migrating from the cities during the corona period. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), in addition to providing employment to the daily wage labourers in the villages, proved to be crucial in the development of basic infrastructure in the villages, which was called an opportunity in disaster and under the self-sufficient India package. Experts say that in the upcoming Budget also, other rural development schemes including MNREGA can be increased. The budgetary allocation of MNREGA was ₹61,500 crore in 2020-21, but under the self-sufficient package in the corona era, an additional allocation of ₹40,000 crore was made for the scheme. Farmers have been agitating for more than two months on the borders of Delhi to repeal the new agricultural laws and to demand a legal guarantee for the purchase of crops at the minimum support price (MSP). Agricultural experts point out that MSP is a big issue in the farmers' movement, so some announcement can be expected in the Budget regarding MSP as well. Union Finance Minister <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> will present the General Budget of the upcoming financial year 2021-22 in Parliament on Monday. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/travel/article/the-many-marvels-of-satpura-biosphere-reserve/articleshow/80598269.cms">The many marvels of Satpura Biosphere Reserve in Madhya Pradesh</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/india-travel-and-tourism-sector-is-hoping-that-the-budget-2021-wont-leave-them-behind/articleshow/80596702.cms">India’s travel and tourism sector is hoping that the Budget won’t leave them behind</a>

You Searched For "agricultural reforms" and got 10 results

Economic Survey calls for urgent agricultural reforms; cites growth hurdles

PTI

Modi 3.0 will offer policy continuity, but BJP's loss of outright majority may slow down fiscal reforms: Moody's

ANI

Modi is using the COVID-19 crisis to push through APMC reforms he has wanted for long⁠— but states may oppose

Rounak Jain

A Senate official dashed Democrats' hopes of expanding citizenship for migrants in the $3.5 trillion budget bill

Tom Porter

India opens nuclear energy space to private players but for cancer research and other consumer applications only

Rounak Jain

The COVID-19 relief bill includes $5 billion in aid for farmers of color who have long faced discrimination by federal officials

John L. Dorman

Finance Commission constitutes expert group on agriculture exports

PTI

How decades of US welfare policies lifted up the white middle class and largely excluded Black Americans

Marguerite Ward

India for elimination of trade-distorting subsidies on agriculture in WTO

PTI

Rural poor, farmers' progress to be government's priority :Budget 2021

IANS

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