-The Times of India The monsoon entered its second month carrying a big rain deficit of 31%, as on July 1, with Met officials still hopeful of good rains in July and August. The next few weeks are crucial as the monsoon's performance in this period could dictate whether the government would need to respond with special measures. India Meteorological Department officials, who till last week were confident that the monsoon...

-The Telegraph Nearly three-fourths of India’s land area received poor rainfall during the first four weeks of the monsoon season, and an active monsoon phase is unlikely within the next week, weather scientists said today. The poor rainfall has stirred concern among agro-meteorology scientists, tasked with translating weather information into advisories for farmers throughout the year, as the period for paddy transplantation draws closer. “Rain during July is always crucial, but this year...

After a sluggish start, the south-west monsoon is on the upswing, covering newer areas by the hour. Director-General of India, Meteorological Department, L.S. Rathore told The Hindu on Sunday that the system had already covered about 40 per cent of the total geographical area of the country and the coverage could go up to at least 50 per cent by Monday evening. The rapid progress means the deficiency of rainfall at the...

-The Telegraph Rainfall over India has been 42 per cent below normal during the first 13 days of the 120-day monsoon season, with vast tracts of the peninsular region still waiting for rains, but scientists today predicted a fresh surge within the next three days. The India Meteorological Department said today it expects atmospheric conditions to “become favourable” for a further advance of the monsoon over parts of Bengal and Odisha over...

-The Economic Times The government has removed roadblocks to coal mining by leading business houses and taken the first step to relax scrutiny of corporate expenditure on oil and gas fields, in a burst of action that has cheered investors and industrialists in the languishing energy sector. A group of ministers recommended to the cabinet on Wednesday that Reliance Power's Chhatrasal block, which is attached to the 4,000 mw Sasan Ultra Mega...