This is not a complete answer but would be helpful. Here are a few facts:
Theorem (T. Aubin 1979T. Aubin 1970 and P. Ehrlich 1976). If the Ricci curvature of a compact Riemannian manifold is non-negative and positive somewhere, then the manifold carries a metric with positive Ricci curvature.
Also vanishing the first Betti number is a necessary condition in compact case for admitting strictly positive Ricci curvature (see on Google books: A Course in Differential Geometry, By Thierry Aubin).
Relation with scalar curvature:
There are still no known examples of simply connected manifolds that admit positive scalar curvature but not positive Ricci curvature
If a manifold $M$ cannot have a metric with positive (or zero) Scalar curvature, then it certainly does not admit a metric with positive (zero res.) Ricci curvature.
This paper of G. Perelman is also useful: "Construction of manifolds of positive Ricci curvature with big volume and large Betti numbers". Comparison Geometry. 30: 157–163 Click here for pdf