News for 'Directorate of Agriculture'

India stares at fuel shortage with spike in under-recovery at OMCs

India stares at fuel shortage with spike in under-recovery at OMCs

Rediff.com23 Jun 2022

As oil marketing companies (OMCs) stare at huge under-recoveries, India is facing fuel shortage across the country with states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Haryana being the worst hit. The under-recoveries suffered by OMCs are around Rs 20-25 a litre for diesel and Rs 14-18 a litre for petrol, said sources. Government and state-run companies denied reports of any crisis or supply-side issues on the availability of fuel.

US calls for dialogue to resolve farmer protests

US calls for dialogue to resolve farmer protests

Rediff.com5 Feb 2021

Recognising that peaceful protests are a hallmark of a thriving democracy, the United States has said that it encourages dialogue between the protesting farmers and the Indian government to resolve their differences.

How Haryana govt helped Patanjali to buy lands illegally

How Haryana govt helped Patanjali to buy lands illegally

Rediff.com24 Jun 2019

When agricultural holdings get fragmented over years, the state government has the power to step in and help farmers pool their land parcels for improving land productivity, after which the pooled land is divided up into larger plots. Instead of the fragments they hold, a farmer gets a single contiguous patch of an equal size. But, it is done only for agricultural holdings. In Kot village, however, the consolidation has been ordered for the entire village land, including the hilly forested commons, which are already pooled. This is not the first time that the Haryana government has attempted such a consolidation of Kot common lands.

Sikh-Americans hold protest in US against India's farm laws

Sikh-Americans hold protest in US against India's farm laws

Rediff.com6 Dec 2020

A large car caravan of protesters from various parts of California blocked the traffic on the Bay Bridge on Saturday as they moved towards the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, while several hundreds gathered in downtown Indianapolis.

Microsoft partners Invest India to support tech startups

Microsoft partners Invest India to support tech startups

Rediff.com24 Aug 2021

Microsoft India on Tuesday said it has collaborated with Invest India to support tech startups in the country. As part of the partnership, the Microsoft for Startups programme will work closely with Accelerating Growth of New India's Innovations (AGNIi Mission) - a programme of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, a statement said. Housed and executed by Invest India, AGNIi Mission helps startups become enterprise-ready.

Switch To ORGANIC LEARNING Now!

Switch To ORGANIC LEARNING Now!

Rediff.com23 Jun 2022

Reading books will make you curious, build your imagination and nourish your brain into an organic super power.

'We are sitting on a time bomb'

'We are sitting on a time bomb'

Rediff.com27 Feb 2023

'An earthquake of a slightly higher magnitude in the Western Himalayan region is going to be catastrophic -- not just because of the fragility of the region but because of how densely we have occupied it.'

Industry lauds PM's vision of 'techade'

Industry lauds PM's vision of 'techade'

Rediff.com15 Aug 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to make this decade a "techade" for India and the push for 5G, semiconductors and transformation through digital services is going to boost the technology sector in the country, industry players said on Monday. Modi, in his speech on the 76th Independence Day, touched upon all-round development of technology in the country, from 5G to push for electronic chips, laying of optical fibre cable (OFC) network across villages and enablement of digital entrepreneurship in villages through Common Services Centres, making the present decade as "techade" for India. Homegrown mobile devices maker Lava International's Chairman and Managing Director Hari Om Rai said electronics and technology sectors create about $4 trillion of revenue.

Drones still can't deliver packages even in green zones

Drones still can't deliver packages even in green zones

Rediff.com8 Jul 2020

Use cases for drones are, however, immense - industrial inspections, geospatial surveys, agricultural surveys, and general surveillance and security.

Himanta inducts 2 cabinet ministers, rejigs several seniors' portfolios

Himanta inducts 2 cabinet ministers, rejigs several seniors' portfolios

Rediff.com9 Jun 2022

The expansion was the first by Sarma since he assumed chief ministership of the state about 13 months ago.

'Heat wave kills people on a large scale'

'Heat wave kills people on a large scale'

Rediff.com23 Feb 2023

'Already, the temperature has touched 39 degrees in some parts of Gujarat and now we are in the last week of February.' 'We need to activate the heat action plan from March 1.'

Modi inaugurates railway, Kochi Metro Phase II projects in Kerala

Modi inaugurates railway, Kochi Metro Phase II projects in Kerala

Rediff.com1 Sep 2022

The prime minister, who is on a two-day visit to the state, inaugurated, laid the foundation stone of and dedicated to the nation, railway and metro projects in the state worth Rs 4,500 crore.

Exports rise 5.37% in Jan; trade deficit narrows to $14.75 bn

Exports rise 5.37% in Jan; trade deficit narrows to $14.75 bn

Rediff.com2 Feb 2021

The country's exports grew 5.37 per cent year-on-year to $27.24 billion in January 2021, mainly driven by healthy growth in pharma and engineering sectors, according to provisional data of the commerce ministry. Trade deficit during the month narrowed to $14.75 billion from $15.3 billion in January 2020. It was $15.44 billion in December 2020. Imports in January 2021 rose 2 per cent to $42 billion.

11 govt banks don't have a chairman!

11 govt banks don't have a chairman!

Rediff.com14 Sep 2021

The annual earnings of a non-executive chairman of a PSB is capped at Rs 10 lakh, inclusive of fees for attending board meetings. This is way below the compensation of the chairman of any private bank, reveals Tamal Bandyopadhyay.

Why govt fund and monsoon failed to lift rural economy

Why govt fund and monsoon failed to lift rural economy

Rediff.com22 Oct 2019

Although demonetisation and improper implementation of GST along with falling prices are being blamed for much of the distress in rural India for some time, experts believe those may not be the only reason.

90 tonnes of Egyptian onions arrive in mandis

90 tonnes of Egyptian onions arrive in mandis

Rediff.com29 Aug 2015

Private traders had placed orders early this month with Egyptian suppliers at $320 a tonne

Another locust attack likely in a few weeks: Officials

Another locust attack likely in a few weeks: Officials

Rediff.com9 Jun 2020

The summer and rainy weather is favourable for locusts and they move from one place to another during this time, travelling 150 km in a day.

SC disagrees with concerns over panel to look into farm laws

SC disagrees with concerns over panel to look into farm laws

Rediff.com19 Jan 2021

The remarks of the apex court, which also said there is a 'peculiar lack of comprehension' about constitution of a panel, assumes importance as some of the members of the recently constituted committee to resolve the deadlock between farmers and the centre over the farm laws had earlier reportedly expressed their views on the subject.

Above-normal rainfall likely in Sep but won't wipe deficit: IMD

Above-normal rainfall likely in Sep but won't wipe deficit: IMD

Rediff.com2 Sep 2021

Monsoon in August was almost 24 per cent below normal, which was the sixth driest August since 1901. It came on the back of a 7-per cent monsoon shortfall in July.

Climate change making weather prediction difficult: IMD DG

Climate change making weather prediction difficult: IMD DG

Rediff.com7 Aug 2022

Climate change has hampered the ability of the forecasting agencies to accurately predict severe events and weather bureaus across the world are focusing on augmenting the observational network density and the weather prediction modelling to improve predictability, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra has said.

Banks' NPAs never went away, they were only hidden

Banks' NPAs never went away, they were only hidden

Rediff.com26 May 2022

Indeed, there were frauds, and the politician-banker-industrialist nexus played a role in the rise of NPAs, but governance issues in Indian banking are far more nuanced and complex, reveals Tamal Bandyopadhyay.

Ukraine war: Falling rupee unlikely to shore up India's exports

Ukraine war: Falling rupee unlikely to shore up India's exports

Rediff.com15 Mar 2022

India's exports are unlikely to get an immediate boost from a depreciating rupee, which touched an all-time low on Monday, driven by rising commodity prices. The rupee fell to 76.97 against the dollar earlier in the day, settling 1.05 per cent weaker than the previous close. Oil prices soared to their highest since 2008 on Monday at $139 per barrel, after the US and European allies explored a Russian oil import ban, while delays in the potential return of Iranian crude oil to global markets increased supply fears.

New farm laws a major boost for FPOs

New farm laws a major boost for FPOs

Rediff.com22 Oct 2020

The reforms will help FPOs procure directly from farmers, something that they have been pressing for long.

Farm scientists against bureaucrats as recruitment panel head

Farm scientists against bureaucrats as recruitment panel head

Rediff.com10 Jul 2018

In a letter to the PM, they say appointing a bureaucrat will lead to regular interference in the process of talent search

How Amul bucked Covid blues to launch 100 products during lockdown

How Amul bucked Covid blues to launch 100 products during lockdown

Rediff.com23 Jul 2022

The dairy major is transforming into a full-fledged F&B and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) player, reports Vinay Umarji.

'Locusts don't attack people'

'Locusts don't attack people'

Rediff.com28 May 2020

'They attack standing crops and vegetables.' 'They don't attack people.' 'People are just panicking.'

India saw 23.5 lakh pollution deaths in 2019, highest in world

India saw 23.5 lakh pollution deaths in 2019, highest in world

Rediff.com18 May 2022

In India, air pollution is most severe in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (northern India), where topography and meteorology concentrate pollution from energy, mobility, industry, agriculture, and other activities, the researchers said.

A first in 3 decades, retail inflation in US higher than India for 4 months

A first in 3 decades, retail inflation in US higher than India for 4 months

Rediff.com15 Feb 2022

Emerging markets such as India have always run higher inflation rates than developed economies such as the US and countries of Western Europe. But for the first time in the past 30 years, the US reported a higher consumer price inflation (CPI) rate than India in five consecutive months. The US reported a CPI rate of 7.5 per cent in January 2022 against 6.01 per cent in India and analysts expect the trend to continue for at least a few months more

Vashi market to shut for a week, Mumbai faces vegetable shortage

Vashi market to shut for a week, Mumbai faces vegetable shortage

Rediff.com9 May 2020

The government of Maharashtra decided to shut operations at APMC Vashi mandi between May 11 and 17 after confirmed cases of Covid-19 surpassed 80 in the APMC and over 450 across Navi Mumbai, where the mandi is located.

With 300 mn Indians in its fold, cooperative sector awaits big-bang reforms

With 300 mn Indians in its fold, cooperative sector awaits big-bang reforms

Rediff.com27 Jul 2021

About 150 years ago, in British India, big farmers in the western region of Maharashtra agitated over unfair lending practices and demanded a more fair and inclusive financing structure. People say this is where the seeds of the cooperative movement, now omnipresent in the country, were sown. Today, more than 800,000 cooperative societies thrive in India, with 300 million members, a number close to the population of the United States. Despite a reach this deep--grass roots as they call it--cooperatives do not occupy a lion's share in the Indian economy.

Focus is on Bharat despite fiscal challenges

Focus is on Bharat despite fiscal challenges

Rediff.com2 Feb 2018

But the measures, particularly in agriculture, may not be enough to revive the sector and double the farm income, says S Mahendra Dev.

Chinese New Year: Meet The Year of the Rabbit Celebs

Chinese New Year: Meet The Year of the Rabbit Celebs

Rediff.com23 Jan 2023

The Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese calendar, began on Sunday, January 22.

'Yogi wanted to make some noise'

'Yogi wanted to make some noise'

Rediff.com5 Mar 2022

'...to come back to power because it was not doing well.'

Centre's agri market reform ordinance comes under fire

Centre's agri market reform ordinance comes under fire

Rediff.com7 Jun 2020

Kiran Vissa, co-convenor of National Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, said that amendments to the EC Act have nothing to do with farmers' welfare but instead meant to please big players and agriculture companies. This is because small and marginal farmers don't have the storage capacity to attract provisions of the EC Act.

Athawale refutes Geete, says Cong backstabbed Sharad Pawar

Athawale refutes Geete, says Cong backstabbed Sharad Pawar

Rediff.com22 Sep 2021

Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Wednesday said the Congress had back-stabbed Sharad Pawar and not the other way round, two days after Shiv Sena leader Anant Geete accused the veteran politician of backstabbing Congress and forming the NCP in 1999.

Wheat prices at record high of Rs 23,547/tonne

Wheat prices at record high of Rs 23,547/tonne

Rediff.com28 Jul 2022

A head of its meeting, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) can take some solace from the softening food commodity prices. However, the events surrounding the last few weeks show that the fall may not be uniform across all commodities, and cereals like wheat and rice could be the outliers. A Reuters report said that local wheat prices jumped to a record Rs 23,547 per tonne on Wednesday. That is a 12 per cent rise from the recent lows that followed the government's surprise ban on exports on May 14.

SC to hear pleas on farm laws and farmers' stir on Monday

SC to hear pleas on farm laws and farmers' stir on Monday

Rediff.com17 Jan 2021

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde will hear the application on January 18 along with pleas raising the issue of farmers protesting at Delhi borders.

Sales of commercial vehicles, two-wheelers to rise from H2

Sales of commercial vehicles, two-wheelers to rise from H2

Rediff.com12 Feb 2020

Industry representatives have said from the second half of the year, they hope to see revival because the rural economy is looking up and the projects the government has announced.

Respite for automakers: Tractor, two-wheeler sales rebound

Respite for automakers: Tractor, two-wheeler sales rebound

Rediff.com23 Jul 2020

A good agricultural harvest and a timely arrival of monsoon, besides a slew of government schemes, have also come as a bounty.

India 'somewhat shaky' in punishing Russia: Biden

India 'somewhat shaky' in punishing Russia: Biden

Rediff.com22 Mar 2022

Referring to how unified Washington Allies have been in isolating President Putin, Biden stated, "...The Quad is, with the possible exception of India being somewhat shaky on some of this, but Japan has been extremely strong -- so has Australia -- in terms of dealing with Putin's aggression."