The June-September monsoon has so far delivered 1 per cent higher rainfall than average
Prices are likely to rise further as demand grows in coming months due to festivals
Farmer suicides have nearly doubled in the drought-hit Marathwada region of Maharashtra.
Modi's irrigation push in the Budget is aimed at scoring on the political front along with achieving growth targets
India made it mandatory for customers to disclose their tax code, or Permanent Account Number (PAN), for purchases above Rs 200,000.
Citizens are encouraged to deposit jewellery, bars or coins with banks so it can be refined to meet fresh demand and cut the need for imports
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scheme to tap a pool of over 20,000 tonnes of gold held by households and temples.
A dedicated physical gold exchange could lead to standard gold pricing in India.
India's overall retail inflation eased to 4.41 per cent in September, helped by falling commodity prices, but rural inflation was at 5.05 per cent
Rising tensions over eating beef in Hindu-majority India are starting to hit the multi-billion dollar buffalo meat trade.
Festive demand for gold in India got off to a tepid start, with local prices still at a heavy discount to the global benchmark, a bad sign for a period when buying is typically strong.
Canada is the top supplier of pulses to India, which is expected to import 1 million tonnes more this year.
Gold discounts in India, the world's second-biggest consumer, widened this week as dealers struggled to offload stocks amid sluggish demand.
Two-thirds of gold demand in India comes from rural areas where jewellery is a traditional store of wealth.
Gold was among the least bruised by Monday's selloff, dropping half a percent versus a 6 percent slide in Brent crude and a 2 percent decline in copper.
Chinese stocks plummeted 9 per cent on Monday
Gold buyers in Asia were in no hurry, anticipating the market to weaken further, with premiums in India and Hong Kong picking up only modestly this week
Spot gold was up 0.6 percent at $1,103.60 an ounce by 0318 GMT, after an early low of $1,096.65.
Spot gold fell as far as $1,142.10 an ounce on Thursday, its lowest since November 2014.
The best way to curb gold demand is by reducing black money in circulation.
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