-Hindustan Times Cold wave: A warning of severe cold conditions over the next few days has been issued for north Rajasthan, and till Monday in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh. New Delhi: As the holiday season sets in, biting cold has gripped north India. According to the India Meteorological Department, cold wave conditions were on Sunday observed in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and northwest Rajasthan. Dense fog shrouded many...

-Hindustan Times The total cultivated area under wheat, the main winter staple currently in short supply, jumped 25% as on November 10, compared to the corresponding period of last year, latest official data showed, boosting hopes of a bumper 2022-23 crop. Acreages of most rabi or winter-sown crops stand higher than last year, the farm ministry’s data showed. However, a warmer-than-average winter so far remains a concern for farmers because wheat needs...

-Hindustan Times In north India’s food-bowl states, farmers set aflame paddy stalks around October to clear their fields for their next crop. This releases millions of tonnes of smoke, carbon dioxide stored in plant biomass, toxins and planet-warming gases in the atmosphere. Some environmentalists reckon this to be the deadliest spell of pollution in all of South Asia. In north India’s food-bowl states, farmers set aflame paddy stalks around October to clear...

-IndiaToday.in The Wednesday tremor brings to mind the devastating 2015 Nepal earthquake and makes us ponder over the risks ahead. Nepal was rocked by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in the wee hours of Wednesday, claiming six lives. Tremors were felt across north India, including Delhi, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Lucknow. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Nepal, about 90 km east-southeast of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, said the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). At least...

-The Hindu How significant is the development of the Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11)? Why are some activist groups opposing the commercial release of the crop? What are their allegations? How many transgenic crops are commercially cultivated in India? The story so far: The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), India’s apex regulator of genetically modified plants and food products, has approved the environmental release of Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11), a genetically-engineered variant of...