India’s top grain-producers Punjab and Haryana will raise planting of basmati rice as floods have washed away the recently sown regular grades, farmers and trade officials said on Monday. Basmati rice can be planted late, but yields are much lower than regular grades, with farmers also having to face fluctuating market prices, unlike common rice grades that official agencies buy at fixed, attractive rates. “Paddy output will certainly drop this year. However,...

The Government of India’s initiative to focus on agricultural development in the eastern states, as represented by the meeting that the Union ministers for finance and agriculture attended in Kolkata last week, is welcome if belated. Some may see this as a pre-election gimmick with an eye to elections in Bihar and Bengal. But there is no gainsaying the fact that the region’s agricultural economy needs a productivity boost. Among...

A global human rights organisation Monday appealed to the central government to enact strict laws to check honour killings and ensure prosecution of those involved in caste-based violence. The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said murders to protect the 'honour' of a family or a community have increased in the recent months in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. This religion-based, caste-based violence should be stopped by taking stern action against local...

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has announced a Rs 8.5 crore package for assistance to farmers in the flood-affected areas of the state. The package includes free and subsidised seeds of different crops and additional fertilisers to the farmers. The flood-affected areas include Sirsa, Fatehabad, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and some parts of Karnal district. The stayte government will supply mini-kits of seeds of alternative crops like toria, hybrid bajra and...

When Nirupama Pathak left this remote mining region for graduate school in New Delhi, she seemed to be leaving the old India for the new. Her parents paid her tuition and did not resist when she wanted to choose her own career. But choosing a husband was another matter. Her family was Brahmin, the highest Hindu caste, and when Ms. Pathak, 22, announced she was secretly engaged to a young man...