A weak monsoon looks set to leave northeastern India high and dry. In a striking paradox, the region that boasts the once-wettest Cherrapunji and is nestled among verdant hills faces chronic rain deficiency. Manipur has a deficit of 67 per cent, while Arunachal Pradesh, the least affected, is deficient by 29 per cent.

AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi will lead a delegation of party leaders from Bundelkhand, UP and meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday to request a package for the rain deficient area.

Atiq Khan
LUCKNOW: Twenty-seven more districts in Uttar Pradesh were declared drought-affected on Sunday after a fresh review by the State government.

This brings the total number of drought-hit districts in the State to 47. Twenty districts were declared drought-affected on Saturday.

Recently, the government launched the vastly-improved version of the ministry of environment and forests' Website www.envfor.nic.in, making it accessible and user-friendly through an easy-to-navigate interface. The major focus of the new-look site is to enhance clarity and transparency of the environmental and forestry clearance processes.

The state Legislature scheduled to begin from July 31 may witness heated arguments between the treasury and opposition benches over the drought situation in the state. As per indications available with the Revenue Department and corridors of power, preparations are in full swing to declare majority part of the state as drought-affected.

The IAF on Wednesday successfully undertook aerial sorties to help scientists undertake study of the total solar eclipse. Two separate missions from Agra and Gwalior were flown tracking and filming the entire sequence of the solar eclipse that was deemed hugely successful by scientists associated with the experiment.

The State Forest department has constituted a steering committee, headed by the Chief Minister, for better conservation of tigers in the state. State Forest Minister would be the Vice-Chairman of the committee.

LUCKNOW: With its long-held "poorest and most backward" tag, Bundelkhand, which sparked off a fierce battle between BSP and the Congress, could well be the fittest beneficiary under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). Or so one thought.

While Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit claims that Yamuna cannot be cleaned before the Commonwealth Games, it has emerged that the funds for the Yamuna Action Plan

LUCKNOW: Fish once again swam to the surface in a desperate attempt to get air, near Kudiaghat, as levels of dissolved oxygen in the particular
stretch of river plunged drastically sending officials of UP Pollution Control

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