New Delhi, July 1 -- Raisen,

Sehore,

Narmadapuram :

On a late June afternoon, Raja Chourey is a bluster of emotions. A farmer in his 50s, Chourey manages a fertile patch of land in Narmadapuram district of Madhya Pradesh. The farm, burrowed next to a forested hill, is a short distance from the revered Narmada River which originates in and courses through central India.

Beginning in April, a series of unfortunate events hit Chourey in quick succession.

A chunk of the wheat he harvested was sold to local traders at a discount to the government-promised minimum support price, due to technical glitches in the state-run crop purchase portal. The result was a loss, running over Rs.70,000. In the following month, short-duration moong beans,...