-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The government is optimistic of another bumper harvest with output to be similar to last year’s or better, as crop planting and the monsoon season are at the tail end. It also doesn’t expect floods to have any major impact on production. However, some analysts raised concerns over the distribution of rains that they said were erratic, and in deficit in several states. But trade doesn’t expect...

-The Hindu The deluge in Kerala was made worse by inefficient management of 34 dams The people of Kerala have braved the worst calamity since the great flood of 1924. The floodwaters have receded from most of the affected areas barring Kuttanad. Most people have gone back to their homes from relief camps, only to find them battered beyond redemption. As the State is coming back to a “new normal” after the...

-PTI The president of the Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association said the order would have an impact on a market worth an estimated 16 billion rupees a year for such drugs, which are produced by both small and large pharma companies. New Delhi: The Indian government has banned 328 combination drugs in a blow to both domestic and foreign pharmaceutical firms, but the ban has been cheered by health activists worried about growing...

-The Indian Express IMD, Thiruvananthapuram, director S Sudevan said the state has received hardly any rain since the beginning of this month. Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): An unusual dry spell coupled with the reported fall in the groundwater level in flood-hit areas of Kerala has emerged as a cause of concern. IMD, Thiruvananthapuram, director S Sudevan said the state has received hardly any rain since the beginning of this month. Weekly rainfall for the whole...

-The Hindu Gives water-release patterns of only Idukki and Idamalayar New Delhi: The Central Water Commission (CWC), in its report on the role of dams in the Kerala floods, has omitted analysis of the operations of the Mullaperiyar dam, the contentious reservoir located in Kerala and operated by Tamil Nadu. It has, however, detailed descriptions of the water-release patterns in the Idukki and Idamalayar dams on August 15, 16, and 17, when...