The state government on Wednesday decided to continue the controversial cloud seeding operations for another five years. Tenders have been called to select the company which will conduct the operations. A top official said that there was actually no scientific reason for continuing the programme but added that there was

The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, 2006, aimed at recognition and protection of rights of scheduled tribes and traditional forest dwellers, will, in all likelihood be misused, negating the very objectives of the Act itself. It could result in fresh occupation of lands by forest dwellers for cultivation, taking shelter under the provisions of the Act and also open the floodgates for occupation of forest lands by political parties championing the cause of scheduled tribes, and triggering the circulation of fake ST certificates.

The Opposition parties on Tuesday asked the the state government to keep the Rs 10,000-crore Hyderabad Metro Rail Project in abeyance for six months. Mr P.L. Srinivas of the Telugu Desam, Mr Bandaru Dattatreya of the BJP, Mr Ramulu Naik of the TRS, Mr Y. Venkateswara Rao of the CPI(M) and Mr K. Srinivasa Rao of the Lok Satta, requested the government to keep the opening of financial bids and awarding of contracts on hold.

Before it became a hi-tec city, Hyderabad was famously known as the city of lakes. There are over 532 water bodies in and around the state capital with Hussainsagar Lake being the most prominent one. However, rapid urbanisation in the past few decades has all but destroyed the water bodies in the city. The unending discharge of domestic and industrial effluents and sewerage has turn-ed the once-pristine lakes into cesspools. All this has also caused widespread ecological degeneration.

The general body meeting of the District Congress Committee on Monday decided to hold "Farmers' Rally" at district level in a big way on June 23 to campaign the "loan waiver policy" of the Central government. The mandal-level Congress leaders were asked to mobilise 1,000 farmers from each mandal for the rally chalked out by the PCC and the state government jointly. The DCC wanted to utilise the opportunity to go into the hearts of the farmers. The meeting also directed the cadre to organise such programmes at mandal-level from July 1 to 3 three to highlight the gesture of the government.

Agricultural authorities have taken up measures to ensure proper supply of seeds and fertilisers following a recent directive from the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, in both East and West Godavari districts. In East Godavari, paddy is expected to be raised in about 2.42 lakh hectares for the kharif. With the arrival of an early monsoon and resultant rainfall, farmers have started preparing the ground for taking up cultivation. A section of farmers have already started raising paddy nurseries, and by mid-July, transplantation will be taken up.

Taking serious note of the farmers' agitation in Nizamabad which led to firing in air, the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy asked the AP State Seeds Development Corporation to raise the required bank loan and take over the stocks of fodder jowar seeds available in the district in consultation with district collector.

Believe it or not. The National Geophysical Research Institute in Hyderabad records thousands of earthquakes everyday. In fact, a quake is recorded every second by the highly sensitive machines installed at the NGRI campus. However, it is surprising how the people of the city or elsewhere in the state do not feel the many "tremors" or "quakes" recorded by the NGRI machines. No, the equipment is not faulty. The trouble lies with the heavy traffic and the consequent "tremors" caused by vehicles.

Operation Godavari Clean-up programme was taken up by Puducherry minister for tourism Malladi Krishna Rao on Sunday. Mr Krishna Rao brought about 500 volunteers of the Yanam Pourula Sankshema Sangam and took up the cleaning. The programme started at 7 am and continued till 5 pm. Volunteers picked up all floating waste material like polythene bags, plastic and other materials from the various Godavari ghats.

The state BJP Bhoo Parirakshana Samiti convenor, Dr S. Malla Reddy, said that farmers were meted out injustice in land acquisition for establishment of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and urged the state government to take steps to help them.