-Hindustan Times Heavy rainfall accompanied by hail over the weekend damaged crops in key food-producing states across north and central India, triggering fears of higher food prices amid a deepening nationwide agrarian crisis. A good crop was a must this season for the sustenance of farmers who suffered because of unseasonal rainfall in March-April last year followed by a drought that reduced output of summer crops. A good yield was expected this...

-The Financial Express Unseasonal rains and hailstorms in some places over northern states of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar pradesh during the last two days is unlikely have any major impact on output of rabi crops such as wheat and mustard, a senior official with the agriculture ministry said on Sunday. “The impact of rains in the last two days on the standing rabi crops is limited and localised,” Trilochan Mohapatra, Director...

-Business Standard Bright sunshine, however, offsets damage Rains and thunderstorms accompanied by hailstorm in some places have flattened standing wheat, mustard and coriander crop in some parts of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. However, the situation is not as grim as last year because the showers have been followed by bright sunshine. Agriculture scientists say the weather over the next few days will hold the key and if the hailstorm...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Eight states or Union territories, including the Prime Minister's home state Gujarat, have not yet implemented the National Food Security Act, 2013, the Supreme Court was informed yesterday. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Dadra and Nagar Haveli are the other defaulters. The law aims to provide up to 75 per cent of the rural population and up to 50 per cent of the urban population...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Schoolchildren from national boards have outperformed those from the state boards in the first-ever standardised countrywide test of Class X pupils, carried out as part of a sample survey by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Students from the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, which conducts the ICSE exam, and the Central Board of Secondary Education have come out tops while Madhya Pradesh,...