New Delhi: India's crucial monsoon rains have been 31 per cent deficient so far but the weather office has forecast increase in rainfall for peninsular region and fall in temperature for northern region over the next four days. With a delayed monsoon, the weather office says rainfall has been 31 per cent deficient. 83 per cent of the country, including grain-rich Punjab and Haryana, has received scanty rains. In Patna,...
07:20 AM, Jul 03, 2012
New Delhi: The Planning Commission on Wednesday approved Bihar's Rs 28,000 crore annual Plan for the current fiscal, which is 16.66 per cent higher compared to 2012-13. The state's annual Plan outlay for 2012-13 was finalised in the capital at a meeting between the Commission's Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Commenting on state's performance, Ahluwalia said Bihar is fast catching up with developed states....
08:20 AM, Jun 28, 2012
Bangalore: The monsoon is the lifeline for India. And this year, it's perceptibly weak. In Kerala, where the monsoon first hits, its tempo has slackened. The state has registered a rain deficit of 20 per cent, and in some some areas as low as 50 per cent. Neighbouring Karnataka too is reeling under a deficit of 51 per cent in 27 of its 30 districts. If rain doesn't reach the...
08:00 AM, Jun 28, 2012
Damoh (MP): A senior Agriculture official from Madhya Pradesh has landed in a soup after he allegedly put his 58-year-old subordinate through 'humiliation' for taking up a farmer's cause. The incident occurred on Monday when B D Prajapati, Agriculture Extension Officer of Patharia block, went to Deputy Director's Office at Damoh with a farmer, Ved Prakash Parihar, to inquire about the status of a farm loan sanctioned to the latter....
11:45 PM, Jun 26, 2012
Singapore/Mumbai: Jewellers in Thailand cashed in gold as global prices extended gains for an eighth consecutive session on Tuesday, while a weaker rupee curbed buying interest in India, the world's main consumer, dealers said. Jewellers in India are also watching the progress of the monsoon, which could set the tone for demand during the next festive season. Indian farmers, who depend on monsoon rains for a good harvest, contribute to...
03:54 PM, Jun 19, 2012
BANGALORE: The South- West Monsoon may bring cheers to Karnataka farmers, which is expected to hit coastal Karnataka by June 2.If agriculture meteorologists predictions are right, the state might receive 5 per cent excess rainfall over the seasonal normal of 805 mm.The South-West Monsoon, which is crucial for agricultural operations, will set in through coastal Kerala on June 1, and is expected to hit coastal Karnataka the following day.The state...
09:01 AM, May 28, 2012
Ahmedabad: Outlining various facets of development in Gujarat, Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the state has struck a balance between agricultural and industrial growth. "At a time when India's agriculture is not growing beyond 3 per cent, Gujarat's agriculture is growing at 11 per cent, despite the fact that unlike the rest of the country, the state is not blessed with perennial rivers," Modi said addressing NRIs across...
01:39 AM, May 21, 2012
London: Two years ago, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched a petition to fight hunger with the slogan: "1,000,000,000 people live in chronic hunger and I'm mad as hell." Since then, more than 3.4 million people, including actors, pop stars and footballers, have added their voices to the online campaign calling on governments to make the elimination of hunger their top priority. But outrage over the "horrifying figure"...
10:57 PM, May 05, 2012
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to hold a meeting on Wednesday to discuss supply of about 15 million tonnes of extra foodgrains to ration card holders that will help the government to create more storage space for new crops before monsoon. Food and Consumer Affairs Minister KV Thomas, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and PMEAC Chairman C Rangarajan will attend the meeting, sources said. The Prime Minister will...
05:06 AM, May 02, 2012
New Delhi: India's monsoon is likely to have average rainfall in 2012 despite fears the El Nino weather pattern may emerge in the second half of the season, the country's top weather official said, pointing to a third straight year without drought. The June-September monsoon, vital for agricultural output and economic growth, irrigates around 60 per cent of farms in India, the world's second-biggest producer of rice, wheat, sugar and...
05:38 PM, Apr 17, 2012
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called a meeting of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Commerce and Textiles Minister Anand Sharma and Food Minister KV Thomas on April 23 to address the concerns reflected in Pawar's letter to him earlier this month. Pawar had termed UPA's agriculture policy on exports 'ambivalent', 'constantly prevaricating' and 'against the interests of the farming community'. Pawar, in his letter, took...
11:32 PM, Apr 16, 2012
Mumbai: Maharashtra will have a separate agriculture budget from next year, the state government on Wednesday said. Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil made the announcement in the Legislative Assembly. He also said that state was considering roping in the Centre as well as the beneficiary farmers to share the premium payments for crop insurance. "Insurance companies are not inclined to associate themselves with the scheme," Vikhe-Patil said, replying to budgetary demands...
03:23 AM, Apr 12, 2012
New Delhi: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's Budget failed to send out a strong message about the reform process while coming out with a subsidy management plan and announced a new income tax structure. Experts labelled the it as an '80s style' Budget. Mukherjee began by admitting that the global crisis had affected the Indian economy. However, he said that a major turnaround might be expected soon. Budget 2012: How it...
01:07 PM, Mar 16, 2012
New Delhi: An additional investment of Rs 1,15,660 crore would be required to revitalise the agriculture sector and boost production to meet the foodgrains demand under the proposed Food law, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. "To effectively implement the proposed Food Security Act, it is estimated that there should be an additional production of about 70-75 million tonnes of foodgrains," Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat said in a...
04:29 AM, Mar 14, 2012
New Delhi: Exceeding target, the country is set to harvest a record 250 million tonnes of foodgrains this year, as efforts to push farm growth seem to be paying off, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday. "Our farmers have done us proud again this year. ...but we still have a long way to go. ...we cannot afford to be complacent since demand of horticulture and animal products is increasing...
01:53 PM, Feb 15, 2012
In its Budget wish-list, the Agriculture Ministry has demanded lowering of interest rate on crop loans to 3% for those farmers who pay in time, from the existing 4%. According to sources, the ministry has suggested an additional one per cent interest subvention (subsidy) on short-term crop loans of up to Rs 3 lakh to farmers who pay their dues on time. Other farmers get crop loans at seven per...
04:12 PM, Feb 13, 2012
Jamshedpur: Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda on Sunday called upon the tribals and weaker sections of the society to be aware to get benefit of the welfare schemes launched by the state government while ensuring that his government would focus to promote agriculture sector. Addressing as chief guest at the Adivasi Maha Sammelan, organized by the BJP (Schedule Tribe cell) East Singhbhum district committee, at Agrico ground, Munda said the...
02:40 AM, Feb 06, 2012
Davos: Wipro Chairman Azim Premji on Friday said India's agriculture needs right leadership and a drive from Prime Minister because the sector is key to the country's economy. "What we require in short term is much more investment in agriculture and agricultural productivity. "If that can be controlled in terms of getting the right leadership there and the right drive from the Prime Minister and his office in the area...
12:21 AM, Jan 28, 2012
New Delhi: Odisha Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy, who has been facing controversy in Pipili rape case, has resigned on Thursday. Maharathy has been in the line of fire for the past one week following allegations that he had harboured those accused of raping and attempting to kill a 19-year-old girl at Pipili in Puri district on November 28. After increasing public and political pressure for its lapses in the alleged...
10:49 AM, Jan 19, 2012
Chandigarh: Congress on Sunday vowed to help Punjab regain its glory as the most developed and prosperous state in the country by rejuvenating its agriculture sector and industries. Releasing its manifesto for the upcoming Assembly polls, Congress promised to establish the rule of law in the state and create employment opportunities for the youth by reviving industries. Claiming that Punjab was facing crisis in all spheres, be it agriculture, industry,...
12:14 AM, Jan 16, 2012
