Last month, the agriculture ministry had projected 10 per cent fall in kharif foodgrains production at 117.18 million tonnes in view of poor rains and drought in more than 360 taluks in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
He wrote to CMs of all state and offered a team of scientists for deliberation.
Ahead of a meeting of Group of Ministers, the rural development ministry sought to allay apprehensions of industries and infrastructure sectors over the controversial land acquisition bill, contending that the amendments in the legislation are investor-friendly.
Believe it or not, Prime minister Manmohan Singh's Cabinet is unable to arrive at consensus on the exact identity of AADHAAR -- Unique Identification Number (UID).
The government has washed its hands off rising onion prices with Union ministers not sounding too sympathetic.
Targeting Narendra Modi over the alleged fake encounter of Mumbra resident Ishrat Jahan in 2004, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said in Thane that the chief minister and the Gujarat police had killed an innocent college girl by branding her as a terrorist.
Goa Governor's secretary Rajeev Verma, Rajasthan chief minister's secretary Rajat Kumar Mishra and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's private secretary Vimlendra Sharan are among 44 lucky Inidian Administrative Service officers of the 1992 batch empanelled for appointment as joint secretaries or equivalent posts at the Centre.
Home Minister P Chidambaram was on Friday appointed the head of the Empowered Group of Ministers on spectrum auction that was reconstituted after Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar declined the job.
Official sources said Chidambaram's name tops the list of ministers who will be part of the EGoM from whose chairmanship Pawar recused earlier this week citing attempts to drag him into controversies.
Congress rebel Jaganmohan Reddy's mother Vijayamma on Thursday met leaders of political parties seeking their support in her campaign against the alleged harassment of her jailed son and complained to Chief Vigilance Commissioner about the "ulterior motive" of CBI in the case.
Not all ministers are on board on certain critical provisions, want revision.
An Empowered Group of Ministers on drought headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday approved Rs 1,207-crore relief package to Maharashtra. "Rs 1,207 crore drought relief package has been approved for Maharashtra," Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who is also a member of the EGoM, told PTI after the meeting of the minister.
Nationalist Congress Party chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is ready to become the country's prime minister, provided there is a consensus, said party leader and Union Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel. Patel was quick to add that any talk on this right now is premature.
A large number of states, including Congress-ruled Kerala, are opposing the decision on concerns that the entry of foreign retailers like Walmart would lead to displacement of the neighbourhood kirana stores.
A proposal to give foodgrains instead of cash to agriculture workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has "not received" any positive response, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told Rajya Sabha.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Saturday pitched for jobs for the locals while inaugurating Piaggio's Vespa plant in Baramati, saying it was a lacuna that needed to be filled. He made the comments in the presence of Piaggio Chairman and Managing Director Roberto Colaninno, with whom he shared the dais.
Nationalist Congress Party chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's courtesy call to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursdayevening fuelled intense speculation even as both the parties insisted that it had nothing to do with politics.
Some of the prominent United Progressive Alliance ministers on Sunday came under fire from Team Anna at the fast venue of Anna Hazare with the activist's close aide Arvind Kejriwal claiming that cases could have been registered against 14 ministers if there was a Lokpal.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Saturday refuted the allegation that the Nationalist Congress Party ditched the Congress in recent elections to the posts of Zilla Parishad chairman and vice-chairman in the state, saying it was the Congress which had failed to honour the `dharma' of coalition.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar hit out at the green lobby for opposing every new project under the garb of environment protection.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday began his three-day tour to take stock of four drought-hit states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka.
As of now, monsoon rains are deficient by 21 per cent across India, affecting sowing of kharif crops. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab and West Rajasthan have been the worst-hit regions this year.
Ramesh opposes Pawar's plan to provide cheap labour to farmers under NREGS.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar will head the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on the effective management of issues related to drought.
Pawar and NCP leader Praful Patel were on Thursday believed to have resigned from the Union Cabinet upset over a variety of issues, including no 2 slot for Pawar.
Nationalist Congress Party ministers on Thursday boycotted the meeting of Union Cabinet in New Delhi to show their unhappiness over party leader Sharad Pawar not being given the number two position in the government.
Acquisition of land for private purposes would require the consent of 80 per cent of the owners, goes the Bill finalised today, according to sources.
FinMin had objected and wanted existing cost-plus method retained.
Nationalist Congress Party leader and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday said rebuilding of the seven-storey Maharashtra government secretariat building, the top floor of which was gutted in a fire, should be done by the government and not by using the build-operate-transfer route.
Foodgrain production stood at an all-time high of 257.44 million tonnes in 2011-12 crop year (July-June) on the back of record output of wheat and rice.
Following Sonia Gandhi's suggestion, the percentage of landowners, whose consent is necessary for acquiring land for private purpose, has been raised from 67 per cent to 80 per cent in the proposed bill.
In Monday's meeting, some ministers also demanded to retain the original clause of seeking consent of 80 per cent of people (land owners) for acquiring land.
Sharad Pawar will attend a meeting of the NCP legislature party at 4 pm on Friday, party sources said on Thursday.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday discussed with his senior Cabinet colleagues the Mullaperiyar dam issue over which Tamil Nadu and Kerala have been at loggerheads.
Even as the Opposition is cornering the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance over various issues, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday shared dais with Shiv Sena-BJP leaders at a function to mark the 75th birthday of former Lok Sabha speaker and Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Saturday joined the give-more-jobs-to-the-sons-of-the-soil bandwagon. Inaugurating Piaggio Vehicles India Limited's manufacturing plant in Baramati, Pawar from a public platform asked the Piaggio management to provide more jobs to the locals from Baramati. "I am very happy with Piaggio's investments in Baramati. I am happy with everything Piaggio does in India. However, there is one lacuna that needs to be filled," said Pawar.
Pawar said the Union Cabinet has already decided last week to reschedule crop loans of farmers in the affected drought areas with reduced interest rate of 7 per cent.
A small-time transporter, who slapped Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar days after assaulting former Telecom Minister Sukhram, was sent to Tihar Jail by a Delhi court on Friday.
Several slogan-shouting workers of Pawar's party reached the Yadav Baba temple, once the abode of Hazare, and demanded that the anti-graft campaigner apologise for his remark made on Thursday after a youth slapped the NCP supremo to protest corruption and price rise.
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