-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The government's big plan to fight drought will be unveiled on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday on October 2, with three ministries on directions of the Prime Minister, joining hands to converge their schemes to 'drought-proof' vulnerable districts using technology. Narendra Modi, during meetings with the chief ministers of droughtaffected states earlier this year, had asked for a massive effort to be launched for water conservation and storage...

-The Indian Express An enduring solution to India’s water woes lies in buffer stocking during monsoon months and release during lean seasons. Till June end this year, the government was worried about how to cope with back-to-back drought. But by the second half of August, the scene changed dramatically and several states were in the spate of floods. In Bihar, more than five million people have been affected and 6,50,000 displaced from...

A fall in the rate of inflation (on point to point basis) in Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) from 8.35 percent in July to 5.91 percent in August this year is indicative of the positive developments that has taken place during recent months in the agricultural sector, which is expected to further cool off food prices in the near future. A document from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare...

-Livemint.com Solar-powered water pumps will insure farmers when rains fail and also replace polluting diesel ones New Delhi: India has set an ambitious target of achieving 100,000 megawatts of solar power capacity by 2022 as well as doubling farm incomes by the 75th year of Independence. Both these targets can be a game changer for rural India if implemented in unison, suggests new research. According to a recent study by New Delhi-based International...

-The Hindu 8.5 % less rain than normal against prediction of excess. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has erred on its forecast for monsoon rain in August. In June, it said that India would get more rain than it usually did but as of August 31, the country got significantly less — or 8.5 % less rain — than what’s normal for the month, according to the IMD website. While this wouldn’t affect...