Reality Bites

The rural economy is reeling under erratic monsoons and unfriendly government policies. As a result, India Inc, too, is feeling the heat as rural consumption shrinks to a multi-year low.

By AJITA SHASHIDHAR

It is a Saturday afternoon, and all lanes of Ganori village, 60 km from Aurangabad, are leading to the weekly market. The elders, in resplendent pink turbans, are having a heated discussion. The topic is local politics. They are worried. Rains have eluded the village for the third year in a row. The people are struggling to make ends meet. Take Devidas Nagorao Dhangore, who grows cotton and bajra on his five-acre farm. When rainfall is good, he earns `40,000 a year. For the past two years, he has been earning half of this. Last year, he bought seeds worth 50,000 on credit. He has been unable to pay up. That’s not all. Two years ago, when harvest was good, he had bought a bike. He has not been able to…

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Business Today (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 28, 2016

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