Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday defended the release of an input subsidy package worth Rs.600 crore for kharif crops to farmers and announced launch of a fresh assessment exercise to find out the damage caused to crops by the recent cold wave and hailstorm in some parts of the State.

Intervening in a debate in the Assembly during Zero Hour, he said the package announced at a meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority on Sunday was only in connection with the input subsidy, for which the money was already available with the State Government. Only the norms for release of package were to be decided, he added.

North India continues to face an unrelenting cold wave as temperatures in most parts of the region on Sunday stayed low and water bodies in the Kashmir Valley remained frozen.

It was a sunny but chilly Sunday in Delhi, with the minimum temperature taking a slight dip from the normal level. The low for the day was recorded at 7.0 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal. Though fog covered the city in the early hours, the thin veil gave way to the sun as the day progressed.

The chill showed no signs of ebbing in North India, buffeted by icy winds, with the mercury continuing to hover below normal in most parts on Thursday.

The minimum temperature recorded in Delhi was 5.6 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal, although it was an improvement on Wednesday’s 4.4 degrees. The maximum too showed a similar trend and stayed a notch below normal at 20.5 degrees.

Severe cold weather sweeping through camps for people displaced by the Afghan war has killed 17 people, mostly children, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

Jaipur: Mercury continued to take a dip across the state as cold wave conditions continued. Mount Abu in hills while Sriganganagar in plains remained coldest in the state and recorded a minimum temperature of 1.4 and 2.3 degrees Celsius, respectively, the Met reports said on Tuesday.

Jaipurites woke up to another cold morning as the city witnessed a minimum temperature of 4.4 degrees Celsius, almost 3 notches below the normal minimum temperature. It was followed by a cold afternoon as the city witnessed a maximum temperature of 22 degrees Celsius, almost one notch below the normal maximum temperature. Though ground frost was witnessed in the farms during early morning hours, no fog was reported in and around Jaipur.

Two more deaths in U.P.; temperatures below normal at most places

The cold wave continued to affect normal life in most parts of North India on Tuesday as more two persons lost their lives due to extreme cold in Uttar Pradesh. Residents of the national Capital had a taste of the harsh winter with the minimum temperature dipping to 4.8 degrees, three degrees below normal for this time of the season. Though the sun shone bright through the day, there was chill in the air even as the maximum temperature rose to 20.4 degrees, which was one degree below normal.

No relief from the cold wave as skies stay dry and clear

There was no relief from the bitter cold in North India on Monday with the mercury sliding further under mainly dry conditions as skies stayed clear following the brief spell of rain and snowfall this past week. Although it was a sunny morning in the national Capital on Monday, temperatures in Delhi did register a wee bit slide with the maximum and minimum both dropping a degree below normal at 19.9 and 6.2 degrees Celsius respectively. There was also light fog in the city in the morning.

Cold wave conditions persisted in North India on Sunday, where temperatures remained variably below normal in most parts of the region.

In Himachal, five persons were killed in an avalanche in Kinnau district on Saturday night, officials said, adding upper reaches of the State remained cut off for the fifth day on Sunday due to heavy snowfall in past few days. Vehicular traffic could not be restored on the Hindustan-Tibet and Kiratpur-Manali National Highways which were blocked due to snowfall, they added.

Six people died of cold-related diseases in Kurigram and Bogra districts in the last few days till Sunday.

Cold wave coupled with sudden drop in temperature has not only caused havoc in the Terai region of the country (by taking dozens of lives in the past one month alone), but has affected the hilly di