VENKATESH KESARI
With monsoon playing truant, drought could turn out to be a major issue in the coming Maharashtra Assembly elections

Scanty rainfall is likely to hit rice production in the State. In Upper Brahmaputra Valley zone, the famous rice belt around Titabor and adjoining areas is worst hit by the problem.

Guwahati city has been recording the highest (day) temperatures during the month of July above 36 degree Celsius since 2005, said sources in the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) here.

The Assam Government today declared drought-like situation in 14 districts of the State following a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Pune The water-starved city heaved a sigh of relief as the Rain Gods smiled on Tuesday morning. By evening, the citizens were also smiling. There was water in the rivers, dams and roads. The catchments of all the dams supplying drinking water to Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad received heavy rain through the day.

Mumbai For over 15 hours ending Tuesday evening, Mumbai

AMIT AGNIHOTRI
The Prime Minister has asked Union Cabinet secretary K.M. Chandrashekhar to monitor the situation on a daily basis
Concerned over continuing rain distress in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, heartland of the green revolution, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took stock of the situation in a meeting with agriculture minister Sharad Pawar

Southwest monsoon may shed some of its mystery next time round when Indian Space Research Organisation

New Delhi: With an urgent review of the monsoon and crop situation taken by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh revealing that its comfort zone is shrinking because of the adequate rains in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, government on Monday took precaution of cancelling export of 6 lakh tonnes of wheat and wheat products.