THE All-India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) has urged the government not to hike the minimum export price (MEP) for basmati, arguing that not only would a higher price hit export volumes but also impact farmers in Punjab and Haryana, who have planted more basmati this year.

Thunder, lightning and intermittent showers early this morning followed by the varying spells of sunshine throughout the day were perhaps not enough to provide respite from a thick veil of polluted smog that has been enveloping parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh for the past more than a week.

AFTER media reported seven trucks being seized by the Gurgaon Vigilance Department on October 28 for allegedly transporting illegal mining material, the Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner constituted a district task force under the chairmanship of the ADC to check cases of illegal mining.

A significant number of farmers in nearly a dozen villages of Jhajjar district, about 30 km from here, are on the verge of ruin following the alleged 'lethargic' attitude of the district administration in draining out accumulated rain water from their fields.

It prided itself for being the land of orchards. This year, however, many in Karnikhera village in the border district of Ferozepur in Punjab did not go for kinnows or guavas but chose basmati

Probe Finds Nexus With Gurgaon Mining Mafia

The tepid response to the eighth round of the New Exploration Licensing Policy questions its overwhelming merits
Bids have been received for only 36 of the 70 blocks, offered for exploration in the eighth round of the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP). The government remains sanguine about the response, considering the global financial situation. But the fact is that it was a damp squib.

Abantika Ghosh | TNN