-The Times of India NEW DELHI: India's bread basket states of Punjab and Haryana received just around half the normal rainfall this monsoon season. But more worryingly, this year's rain deficit is not an isolated event. The two key agricultural states have been getting below par rainfall for the past 16 years. Met department figures reveal Punjab has seen above normal monsoon rainfall in just two years since 1999. The last time...

It is said that the Central Water Commission (CWC) has failed miserably in September 2014 to furnish information on river flow and raise alarm to people of Jammu and Kashmir living in the downstream areas in the midst of heavy rainfall. The CWC is responsible for making forecasts of floods in all flood-prone areas and provides advisory to the states for tackling floods. The NGO South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The monsoon that set in on India late this year is making a delayed retreat as well. Rains towards the fag end of the season are good for standing crops and will hold soil moisture for winter crops, but may hurt crops which are ready for harvest, particularly paddy and cotton in some areas. According to the government's meteorology department officials, there are no signs of...

-The Telegraph Bihar: The statewide torrential rain in mid-August caused flood conditions in 16 districts but came as a boon for standing paddy crop. Figures say the overall kharif transplantation coverage went up by nearly 40 per cent during August. It was 54 per cent on August 1 and touched 93 per cent on September 1. It came as a major relief for farmers and the state government, as, till the first week...

-The Financial Express Though food inflation could be lower than last year's 11.1%, fruit and vegetable prices remain the pressure points. Concerns over monsoon have diminished a lot in recent weeks because of four positive developments. First, rainfall deficiency has reduced sharply from a century-high of 45% for June to 17% as on August 18. Second, sowing has caught up significantly from 40% below normal in mid-July to just 2.3% below normal...