-The Times of India Pune: Torrential rain over some areas in the last few days has helped soothe the parched state, but experts advise that this will not end the spate of droughts. Those in the know point out that lack of rainfall does not necessarily lead to a crippling shortage of water, but it results from a lack of policies, missing drought-proofing Infrastructure and lackadaisical institutional mechanisms. "It will be a normal...

-The Indian Express New FDI policy in food products is unlikely to be a game-changer by itself. Government must clear up the policy environment. n a rather bold move on June 20, the Modi government opened several key sectors such as defence, pharmaceuticals, civil aviation and food products to 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI). The objective behind this FDI policy is to attract higher investments, better technologies in manufacturing, commerce,...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Air and dust pollution from road traffic may be a threat to Kashmir's silk sector, already dogged by the lack of cocoon-processing Infrastructure, declining production and farmers' abandonment of silkworm-rearing. Scientists at the University of Kashmir, Srinagar, and the Central Sericulture Research Institute, Pampore, have warned that traffic pollution may significantly reduce food consumption by silkworms and their capacity to spin the fibre. Field observations suggest that silkworms do...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The government has set up a committee to review the minimum support price (MSP) and bonus for pulses to promote cultivation of the staple commodity which has seen a fresh spike in prices. The decision came after an inter-ministerial review meeting headed by finance minister Arun Jaitley on Monday that was attended by food minister Ram Vilas Paswan and urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu. The Chief Economic...

-The Times of India DEHRADUN/ ALMORA: Over 900 villages across the state had plunged into darkness when cloudbursts and incessant rains hit Uttarakhand on July 1. Of these, around 150 are still in the dark. Senior officials of the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) said on Monday that the scale of damage to transmission lines was "unprecedented" . "The strong winds and continued rains snapped many poles and supply lines were also...