The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted above-normal rainfall for the upcoming monsoon season in India (June to September). The cumulative rainfall is estimated to be 105 percent of the long-period average. The IMD has also ruled out the possibility of El Nino conditions during the entire season. The monsoon is crucial for India's agriculture sector, which supports the livelihood of a significant portion of the population and contributes substantially to the country's GDP. However, while the prediction of normal rainfall brings relief, climate change is expected to cause variations in rainfall distribution.
On August 5, 1953, Jawaharlal Nehru sent a strange note to the foreign secretary. It is worth mentioning because it was symptomatic of the lack of knowledge about Western Tibet in India and in South Block in particular, notes Claude Arpi.
'China could intentionally release excess water.' 'The North East is already flood-prone during the monsoon, and even a controlled release from Chinese dams (during the monsoon) could worsen flooding.'
The demand for passenger vehicles (PVs) is expected to sustain even beyond the ongoing festival season as a new set of customers, those who gained confidence to buy cars following the recent GST rate cuts, will begin to visit dealerships now, said Shailesh Chandra, president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), on Wednesday.
'The natural barrier that is Aravalli, you are demolishing it, then who will stop the desert?' 'In future, I predict that people will roam around with oxygen cylinders in Delhi because they won't be able to breathe.'
Private sector banks slipped in market capitalisation (mcap) during the July-September quarter, underperforming their government-owned peers as trade uncertainties dragged market sentiment, said S&P Global Market Intelligence. According to its analysis, HDFC Bank shed 4.8 per cent in mcap during the third quarter, while ICICI Bank's dropped 6.7 per cent.
Spurred by cyclone Remal, the southwest monsoon set in over the Kerala coast and parts of the northeast on Thursday, a day earlier than forecast by the weather office.
Cyclone Shakhti, the first cyclonic storm of the post-monsoon season in the Arabian Sea, has intensified.
'What we are witnessing is not a freak incidence or a freak occurrence, but a new climate reality where warming oceans, monsoon variability and local geography are combining to produce extreme events.'
Amid low growth elsewhere, gross value added (GVA) growth in agriculture and allied activities recovered during the second quarter of the current financial year (Q2FY25) to 3.5 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) due to strong monsoon. Experts feel that the rains have laid the foundation of an even better GVA performance in subsequent quarters. GVA growth in the first quarter of FY25 was 2.0 per cent.
Heavy rains continue to batter Tamil Nadu, causing a rise in reservoir levels and prompting a red alert. Schools and colleges are closed in several districts as authorities prepare for potential flooding.
ITC Hotels on Friday reported nearly 74 per cent rise in consolidated net profit for the second quarter ended September at Rs 133.29 crore, on higher revenue from operations. The company, which listed on the stock exchanges earlier this year post its demerger from ITC Limited, had posted a net profit of Rs 76.63 crore a year ago.
This was a soaring evening that sent hearts aflutter and for a few brief moments we tasted the breath of pure freedom that has been missing in this country for the past several years.
The BJP flayed Gandhi for "echoing" Trump's "dead economy" jibe at India, calling it a "shameful" insult to the aspirations, achievements, and well-being of the people of the country.
Wholesale price inflation (WPI) softened to 0.13 per cent in September on easing in prices of food articles and manufactured items, government data showed on Tuesday. WPI-based inflation was 0.52 per cent in August and 1.91 per cent in September last year.
The bulk of these districts are in Bihar, where 87 per cent districts are monsoon-deficient till July 9.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy secured another term as Secretary (Administration) of the Constitution Club of India, defeating Sanjeev Balyan in a closely watched election that saw participation from prominent political figures.
The Supreme Court has requested the Election Commission to respond to petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The court has also asked the Madras and Calcutta High Courts to keep proceedings on similar petitions in abeyance.
Mining major Vedanta's consolidated net profit plunged 58.69 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 1,798 crore in the second quarter of 2025-26 (Q2FY26), dragged down by exceptional losses booked during the period under review. The company had reported a net exceptional gain of Rs 1,160 crore in Q2FY25.
'It is high time to recognise that this is the greatest issue India is confronting.' 'Even the BJP should be raising concerns because polluted air suffocates everybody's child.'
India's last three major commercial aviation accidents --Patna (2000), Mangaluru (2010), and Kozhikode (2020) -- could offer critical safety lessons for the ongoing investigation.
If he cannot do it this term by using his bureaucracy and experts from different fields, it will be a tragedy, asserts Ramesh Menon.
S&P Global Ratings on Tuesday upped India's GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal to 6.5 per cent, citing lower crude prices, monetary easing and normal monsoon, and said the ongoing geopolitical tensions are unlikely to put a "significant pressure" on the rupee or inflation.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated India's readiness to assist Pakistan in combating terrorism if it cannot act on its own, highlighting Operation Sindoor as a demonstration of India's capabilities. He also criticized Pakistan's appointment to a UN counter-terrorism committee.
Even if the Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee decided to hold interest rates in the October meeting, it acknowledged the scope for further rate cuts while waiting for the impact of the past steps to play out.
Shikhar Dhawan has extended solidarity to the people of Punjab amid the devastating floods that have impacted thousands across the state.
Domestic automobile retail sales declined 4 per cent year-on-year in July amid drop in demand for passenger vehicles and two-wheelers, dealers' body FADA said on Thursday. Overall registrations dropped to 19,64,213 units last month, as compared to 20,52,759 units in July 2024.
This would be due to early monsoon onset, abundant precipitation in the soil and the government's higher minimum support price (MSP) for farmers, the USDA said in its assessment.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday lowered India's growth forecast for FY26 to 6.5 per cent from 6.7 per cent on account of trade uncertainty and higher US tariffs that are expected to impact exports and investment. Despite the downward revision from the April 2025 Asian Development Outlook (ADO), India remains one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world.
Retail inflation slipped to 1.54 per cent in September from 2.07 per cent in the preceding month mainly due to subdued prices of food items, including vegetables and pulses, according to government data released on Monday. The consumer price index (CPI) based inflation was 5.49 per cent in September 2024.
Delhi is preparing for its first artificial rain through cloud seeding to combat air pollution. A trial run was successful, and the first rainfall is expected on October 29 if weather conditions are favorable.
The first cloud-seeding trial has been conducted in parts of Delhi, including Burari and Karol Bagh areas, aimed at inducing artificial rain to tackle air pollution.
IMD weather forecast predicted a moderate to intense spell of rain in these areas for the next three to four hours.
The early onset of the southwest monsoon brought continuous rainfall across southern and eastern India, contributing to this record.
Former India spinner and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh has stepped in with relief measures for his flood-ravaged home state Punjab.
Heatwave may abate over most parts of North India in next two days; temperatures likely to drop by 2-3C.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju feels that the National Sports Governance Bill, which is set to be tabled in the monsoon session beginning on Monday, will usher in a 'new era' for sports in India.
India's annual oil import bill could rise by $9-11 billion if the country is compelled to move away from Russian crude in response to US threats of additional tariffs or penalties on Indian exports, analysts said. India, the world's third-largest oil consumer and importer, has reaped significant benefits by swiftly substituting market-priced oil with discounted Russian crude following Western sanctions on Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Passenger vehicle retail sales shot up 35 per cent year-on-year during the nine-day Navratri period this year, helping the overall registrations last month grow 6 per cent, as offtakes remained muted in the first 21 days of the month and only took off after the roll-out of new GST rates on September 22, dealer' body FADA said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended India's actions against terrorism, stating no country stopped India and criticizing the Congress party for not supporting the armed forces. He highlighted the success of Operation Sindoor and warned Pakistan against further misadventures.
