-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The country received just over a third of its normal rainfall this winter, leaving a 63% deficit in January and February that raises the spectre of water scarcity in the coming summer ahead of the monsoon. Of particular concern will be the large rain and snowfall deficits in the hill states of J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which feed rivers flowing into the PLAins of north...

-Livemint.com Farmer organizations in Gujarat PLAn a five-day protest in Gandhinagar next month over allocation of Narmada waters, crop insurance and minimum support price Ahmedabad: Farmer organizations in Gujarat PLAn to hold a five-day protest in Gandhinagar next month to voice concerns over the allocation of Narmada waters and demands on issues such as crop insurance and minimum support price. “Despite repeated written presentations to Gujarat government, our issues have not been addressed....

-PTI The case pertains to Commodore Lokesh Batra (Retd) who had sought to know details of bills, invoices and other records related to abroad visits of Prime Minister between Financial Years 2013-14 and 2016-17. The Central Information Commission has directed the external affairs ministry to disclose records related to the expenses incurred on chartering Air India aircraft for abroad visits of the prime minister from 2013 to 2017. Chief Information Commissioner R...

-Livemint.com To stabilize crop prices and make them remunerative, the Swaminathan Commission proposed significant improvements in the implementation of MSPs Across the country, farmers are furious—and rightfully so. Four years ago, they helped bring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power, believing Narendra Modi’s claims that they would no longer suffer official neglect. But since then, conditions in agriculture have got worse. Earlier problems have worsened as farm incomes have been squeezed...

-The Hindu Business Line New Delhi: The Agriculture Ministry has broadened the scope of the proposed Contract Farming Bill by bringing marketing and services into its ambit and cutting back on States’ role in regulating the sector, paying heed to a multitude of responses that the PLAnned piece of legislation elicited. “On the basis of the great response it received from stakeholders, we have made many changes to the Bill. There is...