Unseasonal rains & strong winds have ruined fields in southwest Punjab. Bathinda saw rainfall 3,900% above normal over 24-30 March, though officials say only 10% of farms severely affected.
Farmers registered under PM insurance scheme say they’re not entitled to state govt relief while the latter says it has reopened its portal for beneficiaries.
Lack of winter rains has raised temperatures in parts of North India, where farmers grow wheat. Last week, the daily average temperature hit March levels, according to weather officials.
Experts believe prices are likely to go down as harvest season approaches & assert that government must release strategic reserve in open market to enhance supply.
Indian farmers have planted wheat on 4.5 million hectares since 1 October, when the current sowing season began, up 9.7% from a year ago, showed the latest farm ministry data.
Wheat stocks are half of where they stood in October 2021. Public stocks of rice are nearly double stocking norm, but price outlook depends on actual harvest this season.
Over generations, Bihar’s bane has been its utter lack of urbanisation. But now, even Bihar is urbanising. Or let’s say, rurbanising. Two decades under Nitish Kumar have created a new elite in its cities.
Indian govt officials last month skipped Turkish National Day celebrations in Delhi, in a message to Ankara following its support for Islamabad, particularly during Operation Sindoor.
Bihar is blessed with a land more fertile for revolutions than any in India. Why has it fallen so far behind then? Constant obsession with politics is at the root of its destruction.
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