In 1969 fourteen commercial banks (six more in 1980) were nationalized to increasingly involve them in financing the developmental programmes in rural India. Subsequently Branch expansion policy was revised and reoriented in favor of rural areas. Regulatory controls for preferential allocations...

One important reason for low demand for quality seeds is the reportedly low seed replacement rate especially in case of non-hybrids. To investigate the reasons for such practices followed by the farmers is the main objective of this pilot study conducted in Faridkot district of Punjab. The study...

Under the multi-agency approach to rural credit, lead bank scheme was introduced to plan and implement credit programmes at district level. The idea was to achieve coordination among the financial, developmental and administrative agencies for integrated development of the districts. District...

Seed is a unique agricultural input in the sense it has life, it imbibes productivity potential in it, and it can be multiplied by farmers themselves. In most crops it is the cheapest of all inputs required for increased production. This paper presents brief introduction to the nature of this...

The paper enlists important policy measures taken to develop seed industry in India since 1947, progress made, and prospects for its growth. It reveals that the protectionist policy on seeds was abandoned in late eighties when seed industry was placed in Appendix I of the licensing policy....

India is the third largest producer of tobacco in the world after China and USA. Though it occupies a mere 0.25 per cent of the cropped area in the country, it contributed Rs. 507 crores to the foreign exchange earnings and Rs. 3200 crores to the exchequer by way of central excise during...

Seed industry in India has been making great strides since independence. The government through policy initiatives helped the development and growth of the nascent industry. As a result quality seed production which was just 0.18 million quintals in 1953-54 has risen to 5.3 million quintals in...

The Indian Patents Act of 1970 excludes all living organisms from the scope of patentability. However, under the Trade Related Intellectual Properties (TRIPs) negotiated under GATT the government is bound to provide some form of protection to plant varieties. Accordingly, the government has...

Ideally seed should be replaced every year for hybrids and every three to four years for non-hybrids. However, in practice seed is replaced less often especially in case of open pollinated crops. As a consequence, seed replacement rates are lower than recommended for different crop varieties. As...

Biotechnology is the application of scientific and engineering principles to the processing of materials by biological agents. It is based on enhanced understanding of the genetic structure of organisms at the level of cells and molecules and offers powerful tools to modify them for a specific...