India's monsoon rains that lash the country each summerarrived late and have been feeble this year, leading to hardship for hundredsof millions of farmers like 61-year-old Rameshwar Dayal. The much-romanticisedannual downpour that normally sweeps in at the start of June in the far southof the country is a lifeline for him and about two thirds of the 1.2-billionpopulation who depend on agriculture for their incomes.
But the rains have been so poor that some farmers havedecided not to sow crops, spelling more bad news for a slowing economy buffetedby its worst power crisis this week following massive blackouts. "My fieldsare completely dry. There have been no rains and I have no artificialirrigation facility to be able to grow food grains," Dayal said from hisvillage, Kherikhummar, in the northern state of Haryana.
Haryana, along with neighbouring Punjab state, is known asthe "bread basket" of India, the source of over 60 percent offood grains such as wheat, maize, rice and pulses that are grown annually.
It has been one of the worst affected this year with 65percent less rain than the long-term average, according to the IndianMeteorological Department (IMD) in New Delhi. Another deficient year wouldcause more harm to India's slowing economy, which grew at its slowest pacein nine years in the first quarter of the year. Drought would also further spurrising global food prices. India is the world's biggest producer ofpulses and second-biggest producer of rice, sugar and tea.
While the government is yet to declare a drought, it hasalready offered 19 billion rupees in cash and subsidies to tens of millions offarmers. It has also rolled out contingency plans to ensure seeds are availableto farmers and adequate fodder is supplied for livestock, as well asprioritising drinking water from low-level reservoirs. "Everyyear India plays the great gamble with nature. It seems this yearIndians will be losing the gamble. Bad rainfall means tremendous losses,"said Ram Kumar, a professor at the CCS Haryana Agricultural University.
A city that tops almost all crime statistics, New Delhi has also begun to witness more women applying for gun licenses.
Jaiyant Cavale/ The Goan
Published Aug 13, 2012
SHARE ON
A noted publicationrecently reported that a large number of women in New Delhi have begun to applyfor firearm licenses. Until recently, men dominated the statistics and womenapplied for gun licenses after citing the inheritance clause. The changingpattern in gun ownership could be due to increasing reports of violence andcrime directed against women on the unsafe streets of Delhi. Guns areincreasingly being seen as the weapon of choice by those who venture out in thenight…
