-The Hindu Business Line New Delhi: A sharp spike in food articles inflation has led to May retail inflation inching up to 5.76 percent, weakening prospects of any RBI repo rate cut in August. This May 2016 print is higher than retail inflation of 5.01 percent in May last year and 5.47 percent in April this year. Food articles inflation jumped to 7.55 percent in May 2016 from 6.40 percent in previous month. The...

-The Hindu The direction of the wind, intensity of the rain and several other factors go into determining whether a rainy spell qualifies as monsoon. In our eagerness for monsoon to arrive, any long drizzle may make it seem as though the annual rainy season is finally here. But not all rain spells that arrive in June qualify to be monsoon showers. For example, the sudden showers that greeted a parched Chennai...

-PTI India Meteorological Department (IMD) has projected an “above normal” rainfall this year. New Delhi: With the onset of South-West monsoon, the government expects sowing operations to gain momentum that will lead to higher production this year after two successive droughts. After a delay of almost seven days, Southwest monsoon finally hit Kerala today. India Meteorological Department (IMD) has projected an “above normal” rainfall this year. “The monsoon is arriving at almost the same...

-Business Standard FY10 was a drought year with a monsoon rainfall deficiency of 22 per cent of the 50-year average, resulting in a seven per cent dip in the total foodgrains production. But, that did not dampen the consumer sentiment as the auto sector grew by 26 per cent, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) 25 per cent and the consumer durables sector by 21 per cent. The momentum continued the following year,...

-Livemint.com New Delhi: Back from a walk through drought-affected parts of the country, Yogendra Yadav, political scientist and co-founder of non-profit Swaraj Abhiyan, speaks on state compliance of Supreme Court orders, a booming private water market in Marathwada, and why farmer movements are weakest at a time when agrarian distress is at its peak. Edited excerpts from an interview: * You just came back from a trip to Bundelkhand and Marathwada. What...