The unprecedented rainfall and floods in Andhra Pradesh over the past three days affected about 450,000 people leading to the evacuation of more than 30,000 to relief camps.
In the wake of bountiful rains in the last few days, one more lake supplying water to Mumbai, Tansa, started overflowing on Wednesday, civic officials said.
Met department assures rains are likely to revive from next week
Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) delivered a stronger-than-expected operational performance in the October-December quarter (Q3) of 2024-25 (FY25), driven by solid growth in its automotive (auto) and farm equipment segments. Higher volumes improved operating leverage, expanding margins.
Overall profitability in the agriculture sector is expected to be marginally higher at the pan-India level in the 2024-25 kharif season, driven largely by higher production and low input cost, but offset by the declining price of some produce, according to a report released by Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd on Wednesday. The report said that region-wise farm profitability in the northern belt was expected to be relatively better than in the southern belt, while the eastern and western belts presented a mixed bag.
Gross Value Added (GVA) growth in agriculture and allied activities in the first quarter of the 2024-25 financial year (Q1FY25) dipped to 2.7 per cent at constant prices from 4.2 per cent in Q1FY24 due to a drop in output of some crops following heatwave in the main growing months. Low post-monsoon rains, which dried most of the reservoirs in several states across the country, also impacted the production of many crops. At current prices, the growth was estimated at 8.5 per cent as against 4.1 per cent in Q1FY24 due to a spike in food inflation during the April to June months of FY25.
Virat Kohli's form in focus as India eye ODI clean-sweep over England
As the massive search operation to locate Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who went missing over Nallamalla forest in Kurnool district, resumed on Thursday morning, some new information has forced the authorities to consider the possibility of the helicopter crashing in Srisailam reservoir. Some local fishermen have alerted the authorities that they have spotted the presence of oil in the backwaters of Srisailam reservoir on river Krishna in the area.
Domestic rating agency Icra on Wednesday said India's real GDP growth for the September quarter is likely to decline to 6.5 per cent due to heavy rains and weaker corporate performance. The agency, however, maintained its FY25 growth estimate at 7 per cent on expectations of a pick up in economic activity in the second half of the fiscal.
Wholesale price based inflation declined to a 3-month low of 1.89 per cent in November on cheaper food items, and experts predicted a 0.25 per cent interest rate cut by the RBI in the policy review in February. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation was 2.36 per cent in October 2024. It was 0.39 per cent in November, last year. In August, 2024, it was 1.25 per cent.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued a warning of significant rainfall in Kerala due to cyclone Fengal, currently positioned as a strong low-pressure area over northern Tamil Nadu.
According to the latest Central Water Commission report, as many as 41 reservoirs across the country are choked up with excess water that might result in disastrous floods especially in the western and southern belt of the country.
The Reserve Bank on Friday raised the inflation projection for current fiscal year to 4.8 per cent from 4.5 per cent with Governor Shaktikanta Das saying lingering food price pressures are likely to keep headline inflation elevated in the December quarter. Consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation increased sharply in September and October 2024 led by an unanticipated increase in food prices.
Due to heavy rains and waterlogging over the tracks at several locations on South Central Railway network, as many as 99 trains were cancelled and four trains were partially cancelled while 54 trains were diverted, an SCR official said.
The aircraft, reported to be a Cessna 152 owned by flying school Alchemist Aviation, took off from the Sonari aerodrome in Jamshedpur around 11 am with a pilot and trainee on board, they said.
Cyclone Fengal expected to make landfall near Puducherry.
At least 25 persons were drowned and several others missing on Wednesday morning after a bus fell into the Gobind Sagar reservoir at Rayian near Bilaspur, 95-km from Shimla.
The IMD issued a 'red alert' for Pune district and asked people to take precautions.
Modi accused the JMM, Congress and RJD of using Bangladeshi infiltrators for "vote bank politics," facilitating their settlement in Jharkhand, which is a threat to the state's social structure.
Himachal Pradesh experienced its second snowfall of the season, leading to the closure of 15 roads, including two national highways. A tourist from New Delhi died in an accident on an icy road in the Lahaul Spiti district, while three others sustained injuries.
For the first time in the last 26 years, a shutter of the Cheruthoni Dam was opened on Thursday.
Cyclonic storm Fengal has commenced making landfall close to Puducherry and it may approximately take 4 hours for it to cross the coast completely, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said. The process of the cyclone's landfall commenced at about 5.30 pm on November 30. The IMD said the forward sector of spiral bands associated with the cyclone has entered into the land and is likely to move west-southwestwards and cross north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram close to Puducherry as a cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph during next 3 to 4 hours.
On the list are: A Gujarat beach, a litle corner of Sikkim and a spot in the hills of Tamil Nadu.
Indian farmers depend on June-September monsoon rains, as half of the country's farmland lacks irrigation facilities.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane concentrated hard as his unbeaten 86 off 197 balls took Mumbai to 237 for four against Rest of India on a weather-curtailed opening day of the Irani Cup.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that her state would sever all ties with the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for 'unilaterally releasing water', which led to floods in south Bengal districts.
At least 16 people lost their lives in various rain-related incidents in Telangana while the unprecedented rainfall and floods in Andhra Pradesh over the past three days affected about 4.5 lakh people leading to the evacuation of more than 30,000 to relief camps.
While rain intensity reduced on Tuesday compared to a day ago, affecting mainly districts in the Saurashtra region, administration carried out rescue and relief operations on a large scale, shifting thousands of people to shelters.
Cabinet sub-committee to meet to review the situation and take necessary steps. Sanjay Jog reports
Shutters of at least 22 reservoirs in the state have been opened to drain out excess water.
Wholesale inflation fell to a 4-month low of 1.31 per cent in August due to a decline in prices of vegetables and fuel, even though onion and potato prices spiked, according to official data released on Tuesday. Wholesale price index-based inflation fell for the second straight month in August after it hit a high of 3.43 per cent in May. Inflation in July was 2.04 per cent. In August last year, WPI inflation was (-) 0.46 per cent.
Some areas were under 10 to 12 feet of water, said health minister and government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel.
This is expected to bring relief to citizens facing 10 per cent water cut since the beginning of this month.
In the wake of heavy rains over the last few days, the Tansa and Vihar lakes, the key sources of potable water for Mumbai, started overflowing on Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
India has received 20 per cent less rainfall since the start of the monsoon period on June 1, with the rain-bearing system making no significant progress between June 12 and 18, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has introduced a 15 per cent cut in supply, which is expected to be increased to 30 per cent.
