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BARGARH: Mounting frustration over sluggish paddy procurement triggered a protest by farmers in Attabira block where a group of farmers' on Saturday locked the gate of the mandi office and dumped bags of their unsold harvest to restrict entry into the premises. The agitators alleged that despite bringing their paddy to procurement centres for days, designated agencies have failed to lift the stock leading to an alarming build-up. The produce has been lying in the open unattended and is prone to damage due to unpredictable weather conditions in the region. No steps have been taken to address this situation, they said. "The mandi opened on May 14 but we have been waiting ever since for our paddy to be lifted. This is nothing but a tactic by the rice millers to pressure us into accepting deductions of a few kilograms per bag. If the pending paddy stocks are not lifted soon, we will be forced to intensify our protest further," said protesting farmer Arun Pradhan.
Chandel (Manipur) [India], September 26 (ANI): In a decisive operation aimed at curbing illicit drug trafficking, a joint team of 22 personnel from Assam Rifles and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has successfully apprehended two individuals in possession of a massive cache of narcotics in Chandel district, Manipur, a release said on Friday. According to the release, the operation unfolded on Friday following specific intelligence inputs. Acting swiftly on the information, a mobile vehicle check post was established in the general area of Bala Point. Also Read | Raipur Steel Plant Collaps ...Read More >
Chandigarh, Sep 28 (PTI) 'Nukkad nataks', informative wall paintings and other activities will be part of the Punjab government's extensive campaign to highlight the ill effects of stubble burning and the benefits of crop residue management (CRM) machinery, officials said on Sunday. Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said the state government has unveiled a comprehensive and ambitious information, education and communication (IEC) plan for crop residue management as part of its move to address the pressing concern of stubble burning and foster sustainable agricultural practices in the ...Read More >
Tirur: Determined to ensure that paddy cultivation does not become a thing of the past, a group of students has taken to one of the last remaining paddy fields in the town. After planting the saplings, they have now assumed responsibility for nurturing them until harvest. The initiative was launched by students of MDPS UP School, Ezhoor, as part of an effort to revive the tradition of paddy farming, which has been fading fast in the region. Acting on this idea, the school's National Green Army (Deshiya Haritha Sena) took the lead in implementing the project. As part of the mission, the stude ...Read More >
In a statement, he said around 70% of the 6.13 lakh acres of paddy fields was harvested but only 40% of the harvest had been procured so far PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday said the State government should strive to reduce the losses for farmers due to kuruvai paddy being 'left in the rain', and procure the currently stored paddy within next week. In a statement, he said around 70% of the 6.13 lakh acres of paddy fields was harvested but only 40% of the harvest had been procured so fa ...Read More >
Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): The district administration has taken strict action against farmers involved in stubble burning after the paddy harvest on Wednesday. A total of 17 farmers have been fined ₹42,000 after satellite images confirmed that crop residue was set on fire in their fields. Watch the video below : Officials said the move is part of ongoing efforts to control air pollution and discourage the harmful practice of stubble burning. According to the administration, incidents of stubble burning have increased significantly after the completion of paddy harvesting. Satellite monito ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], April 7 (ANI): The cost of a home-cooked non-vegetarian thali fell by one per cent year-on-year in March 2026, while the price of a vegetarian meal remained stable during the same period. This difference in pricing emerged as lower costs for staples such as onions, potatoes, and pulses effectively offset the rising expenses associated with tomatoes, vegetable oil, and fuel. According to the latest Roti Rice Rate report from Crisil Intelligence, the average cost of preparing these meals was calculated based on input prices prevailing across North, South, East, and West India ...Read More >
Robhoi, Meghalaya: "I can relax now," Theilyn Syngkli (60), a farmer in Meghalaya's Ribhoi district, told 101Reporters. Most afternoons, she sits on the porch of her tin-roofed house in Nartap village, chewing kwai (areca nut) wrapped in betel leaf, sometimes knitting for her grandchildren, and sometimes, doing nothing. Just a couple of years ago, that kind of rest was unthinkable. Like most women in her village, Syngkli spent long hours after harvest separating husk from rice: a job done manually using bamboo trays called pdung and prah. Among the Khasi tribe she belongs to, winnowing padd ...Read More >
New Delhi: India's unemployment rate for people aged 15 and above held steady at 5.2% in October, unchanged from September, according to the latest government data released on Monday. An easing in rural joblessness, down from 4.6% to 4.4%, was offset by a modest uptick in urban unemployment, which inched up from 6.8% to 7%, leaving the overall unemployment rate broadly stable from the previous month, showed the periodic labour force survey (PLFS) data released by the ministry of statistics & programme implementation (MoSPI). The unemployment rate measures the share of people in the labour fo ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], April 7 (ANI): The cost of a home-cooked non-vegetarian thali fell by one per cent year-on-year in March 2026, while the price of a vegetarian meal remained stable during the same period. This difference in pricing emerged as lower costs for staples such as onions, potatoes, and pulses effectively offset the rising expenses associated with tomatoes, vegetable oil, and fuel. According to the latest Roti Rice Rate report from Crisil Intelligence, the average cost of preparing these meals was calculated based on input prices prevailing across North, South, East, and West India ...Read More >
MUMBAI: India is likely to produce a record 117.5 million tonnes of wheat in the year ending June 2025, the farm ministry said, above its March forecast of 115.4 million tonnes, as higher prices prompted farmers to expand the area planted with high-yielding seed varieties. India, the world's biggest wheat producer after China, produced 113.3 million tonnes of wheat in 2024, the farm ministry said in a statement issued late on Wednesday. However, a leading industry body said the crop was nearly 6.25% lower than the government's estimate. The country's rice production in 2025 is also set to c ...Read More >
DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami swapped his official duties for the humble task of a farmer on Saturday, personally participating in paddy sowing on his private farmland in Nagra Terai, Khatima. The rare gesture was a powerful tribute to the unwavering hard work, sacrifice, and dedication of the state's farming community. Embracing traditional agricultural practices, CM Dhami offered fervent prayers to Bhumiyan Devta (the deity of land), Lord Indra (God of rains), and Meghraj (God of clouds). These invocations were accompanied by the melodious, culturally significant ...Read More >
Gurdaspur, Punjab, India - Ramesh Kumar, 42, is anxiously doing the calculations for his crops this year. Standing at the edge of his wheat field in northwest Punjab's Gurdaspur, he runs through the numbers in his head, totting up fertiliser costs, expected yield, and market prices. Then he shifts to more personal concerns: School fees, household expenses, loan repayments and the money he has been saving for his daughter Varsha's wedding. "I don't know if we can afford it this year," he says. "Everything depends on the crop." The uncertainty has crept in quietly. Fertiliser, once a fairly ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], April 7 (ANI): The cost of a home-cooked non-vegetarian thali fell by one per cent year-on-year in March 2026, while the price of a vegetarian meal remained stable during the same period. This difference in pricing emerged as lower costs for staples such as onions, potatoes, and pulses effectively offset the rising expenses associated with tomatoes, vegetable oil, and fuel. According to the latest Roti Rice Rate report from Crisil Intelligence, the average cost of preparing th ...Read More >
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has directed Punjab and Haryana to ensure zero stubble burning during the upcoming paddy harvest season and strictly enforce measures to manage crop residue. The directions came after detailed review meetings held on Thursday and Friday with senior officers, deputy commissioners, district magistrates and police officials from 23 districts of Punjab and 22 districts of Haryana. The meetings, chaired by CAQM chairperson Rajesh Verma, focused on the states' preparedness for the season in line with the commission's directions mandating effective c ...Read More >
The CAQM is a central anti-pollution commission for Delhi and neighbouring states. (File) Aiming to eradicate stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, which is a major cause of pollution in the national capital in winter, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has launched flying squads to patrol districts that are hotspots and has also established a dedicated cell in Mohali to coordinate real-time action between Punjab and Haryana. During review meetings on Thursday and Friday with off ...Read More >
Gurgaon: At just 58, Haryana's early farm count may be low - the lowest, in fact, recorded in the state in six years - but the number by itself doesn't quite reflect the reality.Forty-nine of these recorded fire incidents have taken place since Oct 13, showing crop stubble burning is picking up in the state and will test ground enforcement over the next fortnight. Typically, early Nov is when stubble burning peaks.The district that has reported the most fires, according to data compiled by Indian ...Read More >
Chandigarh, Apr 5 (PTI) Farmers and opposition leaders in Punjab on Sunday sought compensation for crops damaged in rain and hailstorms at various places, including Amritsar, Bathinda, Muktsar, Hoshiarpur, Tarn Taran and Fatehgarh Sahib. They asked the state government to immediately order crop loss assessment in the affected districts and award compensation. Pointing out that wheat crop was flattened and maize was also hit in a village in Amritsar's Majithia, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said that no official has yet visited to make an assessment of loss yet ...Read More >
With the harvest festival of Baisakhi just five days away, unseasonal rain, hailstorms and high-velocity winds have flattened the standing wheat crop, disrupting harvesting across Punjab by at least 10 days and leaving farmers worried about potential losses at a crucial stage of the crop cycle. The sudden spell of adverse weather, particularly in the semi-arid Malwa belt, has led to waterlogging and widespread lodging of standing wheat crops. Slushy fields have made it difficult for farmers to u ...Read More >
Chandigarh, Sep 30 (PTI) Punjab farmers' bodies on Tuesday slammed the action against paddy growers for stubble burning and demanded a cash incentive for crop residue management. Despite a ban on crop residue burning, many farmers continue to indulge in the practice to clear the fields for sowing the next wheat crop. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi after harvesting of the paddy crop in October and November. As the window for sowing the Rabi crop -- wheat -- is very short after paddy harvest, some farmers set their fields on fire t ...Read More >
Chandigarh, Oct 20 (PTI) The number of stubble burning incidents in Punjab has reached 308, with Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts accounting for the majority of such cases, according to the Punjab Pollution Control Board data. At 113, Tarn Taran district has witnessed maximum stubble burning cases in Punjab so far, followed by Amritsar with 104 cases, as many farmers continue to burn crop residue, ignoring the state government's appeals to stop the practice. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR. As the window for the Rabi crop, whe ...Read More >
In a statement, the Leader of the Opposition asked as to where was the BJP government's Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana and government procurement agencies. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday accused the state government of tricking the farmers by forcing them to sell their produce at a lower price than the minimum support price (MSP). In a statement, the Leader of the Opposition asked as to where was the BJP government's Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana and government procuremen ...Read More >
Bathinda: Punjab recorded 33 incidents of stubble burning on Saturday -- the highest single-day count so far in the ongoing paddy harvesting season -- bringing the total number of farm fire cases to 241. Tarn Taran district reported the most cases, with 23 incidents in the last 24 hours.In comparison, the state had reported 1,348 cases by this date in 2024 and 1,407 in 2023, indicating a significant decline this season.Of the 241 cases reported till October 18, Tarn Taran accounted for 88, follow ...Read More >
Chandigarh: The success of Punjab's campaign against paddy stubble hinges on farmers' willingness to use in-situ crop residue management (CRM) machinery and industrial tie-ups to use straw as raw material. Meanwhile, innovative solutions -- like applying bio-decomposers to the straw or growing mushrooms with it -- remain on paper.To effectively dispose of 19.32 million tonnes of paddy straw this season, the Punjab govt prepared a Rs 500 crore action plan 2025-26 this year, integrating stricter penalties for defaulting farmers alongside using bio-decomposers in 2.5 lakh acres. However, farmers ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Commission for Air Quality Management is yet to comment on Delhi govt's communication asking for the drive against end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) to be put on hold. However, CAQM did say on Saturday that it had a review meeting with Haryana govt on Thursday about multi-sectoral air pollution mitigation measures and strategies, including progress made towards the liquidation of ELVs.Sources in CAQM said the panel is likely to comment on ELVs next week. CAQM had earlier directed that ELVs would be denied fuel in Delhi from July 1, in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar a ...Read More >
Hyderabad, Sept 30 (UNI) Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy today announced that Telangana is preparing for its highest-ever paddy procurement this kharif season and urged the union government to revise procurement targets, ease delivery norms, and provide additional storage and transport facilities. In a statement, he said the state is expecting to procure about 80 lakh metric tonnes (LMTs) of paddy, surpassing the previous record of 67 LMTs. "At the Minimum Support Price of Rs 2,389 per quintal, procurement will cost nearly Rs 20,000 crore. With bonus ...Read More >
HYDERABAD: Telangana has emerged as the leading paddy-producing state in India, said Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, with the government making extensive arrangements for the ongoing Kharif paddy procurement season. On Wednesday, Uttam, along with Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageshwar Rao, chaired a video conference at the Secretariat with district collectors on procurement preparedness. Addressing the meeting, Uttam said Telangana achieved a record paddy yield of ...Read More >
Punjab farmers' bodies on Tuesday (September 30, 2025) slammed the action against paddy growers for stubble burning and demanded a cash incentive for crop residue management. Despite a ban on crop residue burning, many farmers continue to indulge in the practice to clear the fields for sowing the next wheat crop. Punjab, Haryana commit to 'eliminate' stubble burning this winter Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi after harvesting of the paddy crop in October and November. As the window for sowing the Rabi crop -- wheat -- is very sho ...Read More >
Haryana: Govt subsidy on agri equipments contained stubble burning to great deal, say farmers Karnal: While the Delhi-NCR region braces for stubble-burning and subsequent air pollution every year, Haryana's farming community has thrown up a 'national model' for sustainable crop residue management, as it has recorded a remarkable 95 per cent reduction in paddy stubble-burning incidents during the 2025 harvest season. According to data sourced from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), only 7 incidents of stubble burning were reported till early this month, as compared to 150 in ...Read More >
CHENNAI: Hailing from a community of palm climbers, Kannan has witnessed the cutting down of palm trees since his childhood. However, a major turning point occurred in 2021 when he questioned a landowner about why 30 trees had been cut. "They said there were no palm climbers to tap neera or harvest ice apples, so the fruits ripen on the tree. When these fruits fall, forest pigs come to eat them, and these pigs damage the cultivation land when they pass through," says Kannan, founder of Palm Era. After delving deeper into the issue, he understood the core problem: there is no industrialisation ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has directed Punjab and Haryana to ensure zero stubble burning during the upcoming paddy harvest season and strictly enforce measures to manage crop residue. The directions came after detailed review meetings held on Thursday and Friday with senior officers, deputy commissioners, district magistrates and police officials from 23 districts of Punjab and 22 districts of Haryana. The meetings, chaired by CAQM chairperson Rajesh Verma, focused on the states' preparedness for the season in line with the commission's directions mandating ...Read More >