A monsoon holiday can be cheaper because of discounts.
A red alert was declared in 8 districts of Kerala on Thursday by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) as rains continued to lash various parts of the state and disrupted the day-to-day lives of the people as roads got flooded or caved in and many got displaced from their homes to relief camps.
During the four-month monsoon period, India recorded the highest rainfall since 1994, according to the India Meteorological Department.
Monsoon tourism, as it is known, has performed beyond the expectations of tour operators, garnering a 50 per cent increase in both in-bound and out-bound traffic.
While the IMD had forecast a 'normal' monsoon for the entire season, Skymet stated that rain this year would be 'below normal', report Sanjeeb Mukherjee and Sahil Makkar.
He also pointed out the high sums earned by the coaching centres leading to the commercialisation of education.
'The larger story of systematic destruction, which can and has been quantified, goes mysteriously missing from any political and/or public discourse about the ongoing devastation in the Ghats,' notes Prem Panicker.
The IMD chief also allayed fears of occurrence of an El-Nino.
Retail inflation eased to an 11-month low of 4.83 per cent in April as prices of some kitchen items declined though overall food basket firmed up marginally, according to a government data released on Monday. The Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based retail inflation was 4.85 per cent in March. It was 4.7 per cent in April 2023.
We invited readers to send in their interesting monsoon snapshots. Here is the next set of responses -- and you can share yours too!
We'd asked you, dear readers to send us your best monsoon pics. Click here to post your #Monsoon-Pics Presenting some interesting photographs we received from you.
Climate experts also warn the intensity of rains in Kerala and Uttarakhand is "alarming" and must draw immediate attention towards "climate emergency".
The Tamil Nadu government has said it was largely dependent on ground water to meet requirements till the onset of north east monsoon in October.
Short trips can be made to interesting places at 15-20 per cent lower prices.
Chairman of the committee S S Ahluwalia has sought an extension.
Thanks to global warming, soon you may not see the monsoon rains, which in normal circumstances hit the Kerala coast around June 1 every year. Again, you may not see the crops which normally come to the market during harvest season.
Sources within the Congress, including those who have been members of the teams that drafted its 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha poll manifestos, said the Karnataka government decision lacked any empirical basis.
Timely onset of south-west monsoon is crucial for kharif (summer) crops.
Time to pack your bags and pamper the wanderlust in you.
Kerala has retained the top rank in Niti Aayog's SDG India Index 2020-21, while Bihar has been adjudged as the worst performer, according to a report released on Thursday. The Index for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) evaluates progress of states and union territories on social, economic and environmental parameters. Kerala retained its rank as the top state with a score of 75. Both Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu took the second spot with a score of 74. Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam were the worst performing states in this year's India index.
Singh targeted the Congress using a 'snakes and ladders' analogy, saying the party will fall to zero from 99 after being bitten by a snake -- referring to the grand old party winning 99 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.
Wayanad will continue to support Rahul but not to the same extent as in 2019, when his margin of victory had been enormous. Articulate, to the point and speaking in fluent Malayalam, CPI's Annie Raja, had the people who gathered to see her, listening in rapt attention, notes Shyam G Menon.
Normal monsoons will arrive over India on schedule in June, a state-run research body has predicted, providing hope that the agricultural-dependent economy will sustain its bullish growth.
A Congress source termed the process of drafting and presenting of the Bill before the state cabinet on Monday as a "unilateral" effort by the chief minister's office and ministers that are close to him.
According to a rediff.com correspondent, there was a slight drizzle in some parts of Kerala, including in Cochin.
Ernakulam district authorities on Tuesday said 350 cumecs of the water from Idamalayar, which reached Periyar river but there was no considerable rise in the water-level.
We list the best of the lesser known destinations in Kerala. Go explore!
The method is based on a network analysis of regional weather data.
Monsoon is critical for the country's 263 million farmers and their rice, cane, corn, cotton and soybean crops because nearly half of its farmland lacks irrigation.
It's that time of the year when everything looks greener and prettier.
Tharoor said the fishermen took their boats inland and with their expert knowledge of the local conditions, their participation in the ongoing relief operations proved to be a gamechanger.
The monsoon this year in India was likely to be 'below normal' at 95% of LPA: Skymet
According to the home ministry's National Emergency Response Centre, 138 people have died in Maharashtra, 125 in Kerala, 116 in West Bengal, 52 in Gujarat and 34 in Assam due to the floods and rains.
Who else do we know who meditated so with such impeccable timing (much of the Lok Sabha elections over and with only the last phase to go) and hordes for unsolicited defence of the grand meditation at public expense? asks Shyam G Menon.
Incessant downpour battered several states, including Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka, on Friday, with landslips and floods throwing normal life out of gear.
El Nino is expected to occur in August-September, but it is unlikely to have any major impact on the monsoon, and the weatherman expects a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, which has a strong influence on rainfall in the country.
We invited you to send in unique rain-themed photographs -- odd scenes that are captured on a lens for posterity -- to share with other readers. Here are some more responses!
'The monsoon has stabilised over Kerala. It is no longer temporary,' Dr S K Subramanian of the Indian Meteorological Department said.
The flooding in Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra has left people without homes and brought about destruction worth crores.
