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Shopian, Apr 06: A sudden hailstorm on Monday battered several apple-growing villages across south Kashmir's Shopian and Kulgam districts, damaging orchards at a crucial flowering stage and triggering fresh concerns over potential crop losses among thousands of farmers. The storm swept through more than half a dozen villages in Shopian, including Manduja, Kanjiullar, Saidpora Payeen, Sedow, Chek and Mirzapora, flattening delicate blossoms and disrupting the ongoing flowering phase. Farmers said ...Read More >
Most orchards are currently in the pink bud stage or early bloom, a phase highly sensitive to external conditions and extreme cold at this stage directly affects pollination and fruit set influencing the eventual yield. Orchards in lower elevations had already suffered due to inadequate chill during a warmer winter and lack of moisture, resulting in poor bloom and weak fruit set. Now, as mid- and high-altitude orchards reached a promising stage, back-to-back hailstorms and falling temperatures ...Read More >
New Delhi: Aayog on Wednesday proposed an ambitious "Operation Golden Green" for Jammu and Kashmir aimed at transforming the Union Territory's horticulture sector and significantly boosting exports of apples, walnuts, almonds and saffron. In its report, Roadmap for Horticulture Development in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, the policy think tank said J&K possesses enormous untapped potential in global horticulture markets, but India's exports of these products have remained stagnant despite rising ...Read More >
New Delhi: April 2026 has unfolded with highly erratic and unseasonal weather across India, as successive western disturbances (WDs) triggered widespread hailstorms, thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, well beyond what is typical for this time of year. The unusual weather pattern has disrupted daily life in northern and central India and has caused severe damage to standing Rabi crops just ahead of harvest. Local field reports indicate crop losses range from 20 per cent to 30 per cent in several ...Read More >
To mitigate the problem, the government has proposed a series of measures, including clearance of caves, bushes and undergrowth in coordination with the revenue department and the Panchayati Raj Institutions, the minister said. The measures also include installation of deep-set mesh barriers (up to 1.5 metres underground) around vulnerable fields, protection of orchard trees using aluminium wrapping and reflective coatings, plantation of naturally repellent species such as iris, wormwood and wi ...Read More >
Srinagar- A growing porcupine menace is damaging saffron fields in Pampore, raising concern among farmers in Kashmir's famed saffron belt, even as the government acknowledged the scale of the problem and outlined steps to address it. The issue came up in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly after National Conference MLA Hasnain Masoodi moved a calling attention notice, flagging damage to the high-value crop in the south Kashmir town. Responding in the House, Forest Minister Javed Ahmad Rana said fie ...Read More >
Two deaths were reported in rain-related incidents in Nashik division in north Maharashtra, officials said. State Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the government will provide compensation to affected farmers, adding that surveys are underway in several areas to assess the extent of losses. The impact has been severe in north Maharashtra and parts of western Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha, affecting over 82,000 farmers, state agriculture department officials said. The worst ...Read More >
Jammu, Apr 4 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday said it is implementing a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy to tackle porcupine-induced damage to saffron crop in Pampore, with field evidence confirming the active presence of the species in the region. Replying to a calling attention notice moved by National Conference MLA Hasnain Masoodi in the Assembly, Forest Minister Javed Ahmad Rana said habitat conditions such as caves, crevices, hilly terrains and overgrown private lan ...Read More >
The Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday adopted a resolution moved by Congress MLA and AICC spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Rathore under a private member's Bill, raising serious concerns on the impact on the Himachal-based apple growers over the proposed Free Trade Agreements (FTA) of India with the US, European Union (EU), and New Zealand. Moving the resolution, Rathore said the issue was not merely related to trade policy but directly affected the livelihoods of over 1.5 lakh apple-growing f ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 31 (ANI): Congress MLA and spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Rathore said that the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement with the United States, being projected as a diplomatic success, could prove "devastating" for domestic apple growers who operate on small landholdings of one to two acres, compared to large-scale orchards of nearly 100 acres in the US. Calling it a case of "structural inequality," Rathore underlined stark differences in productivity and state s ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 31 (ANI): Raising serious concerns over the impact of proposed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with countries including the United States, European Union and New Zealand, Congress MLA and AICC spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Rathore on Monday moved a resolution in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha recommending that the government formulate a comprehensive policy to protect the state's apple and fruit growers. The resolution, introduced on the 14th day of the ong ...Read More >
Srinagar, Feb 24: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday criticised the government led by Omar Abdullah over what it described as inadequate action to protect the environment, claiming that the Kashmir Valley is witnessing an alarming rise in temperatures. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, BJP spokesperson Abhijeet Jasrotia, along with party leaders Altaf Thakur and Manzoor Bhat, alleged that Kashmir's temperature is rising nearly 2.5°C above normal, significantly higher than the ...Read More >
It said that the issue falls in the policy domain, and the high court should not have passed the order which will ensure cutting of fruit-bearing trees. The top court, however, said that action can be taken by the state government as far as encroachment on forest land is concerned. It said the state government can formulate a proposal keeping in view the objective of the welfare state and place it before the Centre for necessary compliance. The top court was hearing a plea of the state govern ...Read More >
A major controversy has erupted in the Tuni constituency of Kakinada district, Andhra Pradesh, after Narayana Rao -- said to be associated with a political party -- was arrested for the alleged attempt to sexually assault a minor girl at the Jagannadhagiri Gurukulam, a residential school. The incident has triggered widespread outrage, with the girl's family, villagers, and Dalit community leaders staging a large protest. They have demanded immediate justice and the suspension of the school's pr ...Read More >
Tuni: A 62-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl in an orchard after picking her up from hostel, impersonating as the girl's grandfather, a police official said on Wednesday. She is a student in a government school, he added. Kakinada district superintendent of police (SP) Bindu Madhav Garikapati said T Narayana Rao committed the crime around 11 am on Tuesday. "He (Rao) lured the girl. The girl went with him with consent. But consent of a minor is not considered a consen ...Read More >
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh govt is looking to partner with New Zealand in apple and pear cultivation, said chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday.A delegation from New Zealand, led by high commissioner Patrick John Rata, met the chief minister to explore collaboration in horticulture, particularly apple and pear cultivation. Sukhu highlighted the potential for cooperation, noting that both Himachal and New Zealand share climatic similarities, making such a partnership mutually benefi ...Read More >
The Himachal Pradesh government is considering a partnership with New Zealand to boost apple and pear cultivation in the state. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu met with a delegation from New Zealand, led by High Commissioner Patrick John Rata, to discuss potential collaboration in the horticulture sector. The Chief Minister said that the state could benefit from New Zealand's advanced horticultural practices, technology transfer and farmer capacity building. "Such cooperation would help ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 30 (ANI): A delegation from New Zealand, led by High Commissioner Patrick John Rata, called on Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, here on Tuesday. The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh and New Zealand share many similarities and collaboration in the horticulture sector, particularly apples and pears, could significantly enhance the income of the fruit growers in the state. Also Read | Karur Stampede: Hema Malini Leads ND ...Read More >
Srinagar: Fruit mandis across Kashmir observed a strike on Monday to protest against the continued closure of the highway connecting the Valley with the rest of the country as over 5,000 trucks remain stranded on the road. Fruit traders said they could suffer a loss of around ₹800-1,000 crore as 90% of the fruit in the trucks is rotten as they are stranded on the road for over 10 days now. Traders have called it an 'economic blockade' and alleged that the authorities are not utilising the full ...Read More >
Shimla, Sep 15 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh continues to reel under the fury of incessant monsoon rains, with the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) confirming that 404 people have lost their lives since June 20. Of these, 229 deaths were caused by rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, drowning, cloudbursts, and house collapses, while 175 others perished in road accidents, underscoring the vulnerability of the hill state's fragile transport network. The SDMA described the ...Read More >
Rotten apples lie on the ground near trucks stranded along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, after the highway road was closed following landslide and floods, in Qazigund town, Anantnag district. REUTERS Apple growers in Kashmir are staring at huge losses this year as floods and highway closures disrupt the peak harvest season, enmeshing growers and truckers in uncertainty, farmers and industry officials say. Losses of between Rs 600 crore and Rs 700 crore ($68 million and $79 million) are ...Read More >
Ganderbal, Sept 12: The picturesque district of Ganderbal, known for its lush greenery in the Kashmir Valley, is once again witnessing heightened activity as the beekeeping season draws to a close. Local beekeepers, popularly known as Mags, are busy collecting honey boxes after months of patient work that began in early spring. Beekeepers had placed their wooden hives in flower-rich meadows and orchards to ensure maximum nectar collection. With favourable weather and abundant blossoms this year ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], September 12 (ANI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a fresh prosecution complaint or chargesheet against 16 accused in the multi-crore guava orchards compensation scam in Mohali, the agency said on Friday. ED's Jalandhar zonal office filed the prosecution complaint on September 11 before the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Punjab's Mohali against Bhupinder Singh, Vikas Bhandari and 14 other accused in a money laundering investigation relat ...Read More >
Patna, Jul 19 (PTI) The Bihar government on Saturday said that more than 12,000 new polling stations have been created in the state as per the recommendation of the Election Commission, as part of special intensive revision (SIR). According to a release issued by the election department, the total number of polling stations has risen to 90,712 from 77,895, after the establishment of 12,817 new ones. Of these, 12,479 polling stations have been set up "at the same building or premises housing th ...Read More >
Shimla, July 19 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to move Supreme Court against the high court order to cut down fruit-laden apple trees on encroached forest lands in the state, horticulture and revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi said on Saturday. The state government will file a special leave petition in the top court next week and seek a stay on the HC order, Negi told PTI. Also Read | Bihar Special Intensive Revision Exercise: 95.92% Electors Covered; 6 More Days Still Left, ...Read More >
Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to remove encroachments on forest lands. Shimla: Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to remove encroachments on forest lands, including the fruit-bearing trees, all across the state and not limit it to some areas. The order was passed by a division bench consisting of Justices Vivek Thakur and Bipin C Negi on Wednesday after the Advocate General placed on record fresh instructions issued by Principal Chief ...Read More >
Kolkata: Bandhan Bank's net profit in the first quarter of FY 2026 recorded a 65% slump at Rs 372 crore compared with Rs 1,063 crore posted in the year-ago period. Partha Pratim Sengupta, MD and CEO of the bank, attributed the decline to stress in microfinance asset.Even though the bank's total business grew by 11% to Rs 2.8 lakh crore last year, a 119% rise in provisions due to write-offs and high slippages in the microfinance book brought its Q1 net profit down, Sengupta said. "The loan book c ...Read More >
Srinagar- The Meteorological Department has predicted a spell of unsettled weather across Jammu and Kashmir over the coming days, with intermittent rain and thundershowers expected until July 26. A weather advisory has been issued for July 21-23, cautioning about gusty winds and brief intense showers in some areas. According to MeT officials, the region will experience scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall till July 20. "From July 21 to 23, J&K is expected to witness general ...Read More >
Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 18 (ANI): BJP leader and former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Thursday visited some disaster-affected regions in Himachal Pradesh, assessed the ongoing relief efforts, and extended assistance to affected families. He emphasised the urgent need to repair damaged roads ahead of the upcoming apple season and appealed to JCB machine owners across the state to lend their support. Speaking from Mandi, Thakur highlighted the difficult situation in disaster-hit ...Read More >
Shimla, Jul 17 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to remove encroachments on forest lands, including the fruit-bearing trees, all across the state and not limit it to some areas. The order was passed by a division bench consisting of Justices Vivek Thakur and Bipin C Negi on Wednesday after the Advocate General placed on record fresh instructions issued by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, informing that 2,456 apple and other fruit trees have been felled f ...Read More >
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