-The Times of India The government on Tuesday admitted that a drought-like situation may prevail in parts of western India and said contingency plans were being worked out to ensure drinking water and fodder in distressed areas. Monsoon is delayed Western India is expected to be worst affected and drought like situation might prevail in some pockets," agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh was quoted as saying in a PTI report. The assessment will...

-The Times of India   AURANGABAD: The groundwater level in the Marathwada region has increased by 1.8 metres till May 2014 as compared to the corresponding period last year, according to a pre-monsoon survey conducted recently by the Groundwater Survey Development Agency (GSDA). Last year, the groundwater level till May was recorded at 11.44 mt, while this year it stood at 9.64 mt till the same period. Deputy director of GSDA, P L Salve,...

-Down to Earth   Ready-to-harvest crops damaged, farmers fear orchards may not regenerate In a repeat of the hailstorms that devastated crops in parts of Maharashtra in March this year, several districts in western part of the state, including Marathwada region, experienced another bout of hail on Tuesday. Though the MeT department has called this phenomenon a pre-monsoon event, the intensity of the storm and the scale of damage caused to life and...

-The Hindustan Times   Chandigarh: The euphoria in the stock markets, after a strong mandate for Narendra Modi, hogs the national headlines. Unfortunately, the loud cries of wailing farm widows have been lost in the noise and clatter that follows. Isn't the continuing agrarian crisis the worst form of policy paralysis? There is a renewed spurt in the number of farm suicides across the country. My colleague Dr GV Ramanjaneyulu of the Centre for...

-Down to Earth Most suicides among orchard farmers, say observers As many as 101 farmers have committed suicide in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra since the devastating hailstorms in March this year. This sudden spurt of suicides has raised concerns as to whether this arid region is heading for an agrarian crisis similar to that of Vidarbha. A whopping 71 suicides have been reported in the month of March 2014, close on the...