-The Indian Express In an article in these columns (‘A fertile mess', IE, December 11), Ashok Gulati says India has landed its fertiliser industry in a mess because of rising subsidies, lagging investment, unbalanced use of fertilisers and diversion of urea for other uses, among other things. He blames it all on administered pricing and subsidy costs, and advocates the increase of urea prices or cash transfer of the fertiliser subsidy...

-The Hindu Business Line   The closure of three urea producing plants in south India has led to a sharp spike in imports and subsidies In April 2014, the UPA government in its last days, cut off the lifeline of three urea plants. It gave a final push to a ten-year-old trend of replacing domestic urea production with imports. The government-owned Madras Fertilisers, and the private sector units SPIC and MCF closed down...

-The Indian Express The Indian meteorological department (IMD) website states that Kautilya's Arthashastra contains records of rainfall and its impact on revenue, as well as details about relief work. Similarly, Kalidasa's Meghdoot, written around the seventh century, mentions the date of the onset of the monsoon and traces the path of monsoon clouds. Till today, forecasts are made on the same broad lines. Farmers like me still look towards indigenous knowledge for...

-The Business Standard The facility provides latest technical information on agriculture and allied activities to farmers of Andhra and Telangana Andhra Bank on Monday launched ‘Andhra Bank Kisaan Vaani', a new facility which provides latest technical information on agriculture and allied activities to farmers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana through ‘Green SIM'-based voice message, in association with IFFCO Kisaan Sanchar Limited (IKSL). IKSL has developed a green SIM for transfer of voice messages...

-Press Information Bureau/ Ministry of Road Transport & Highways The Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has signed Memorandum of Understanding for two more pilot projects for Cashless Treatment Road Accident Victims - one on Vadodara-Mumbai stretch of NH-8 and the other on Ranchi-Rargaon-Mahulia (Jamshedpur) stretch of NH-33. These were signed in the presence of the Minister of Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari this morning. The projects envisage...