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☆ India's central bank holds rate, looking for inflation 'elephant' to vanish
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

India's central bank held its key interest rate for a seventh straight policy meeting on Friday as growth in the economy is expected to remain robust while inflation stays above the 4% target. The six-member monetary policy committee kept the main lending rate at 6.5%, in line with expectations. While low core inflation provides comfort, the uncertainty on food inflation remains a worry. "While low core inflation provides comfort, the uncertainty on food inflation remains a worry," said Upasna Bhardwaj, chief economist at Kotak Mahindra Bank. "The increasing incidence of climate shocks remains a key upside risk to food prices," the rate setting panel said in its monetary policy statement.

Persons: Shaktikanta Das, Das, Upasna Bhardwaj, Devendra Kumar Pant Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Kotak Mahindra Bank, U.S, NSE, BSE, Research Locations: India

☆ Indian rescuers, two weeks after tunnel collapse, try new tack to reach 41 workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Heavy machinery is used amid rescue operations after workers got trapped in a collapse of an under-construction tunnel, in Uttarkashi, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 26, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Acquire Licensing RightsSILKYARA, India, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Indian rescuers began drilling vertically on Sunday from the top of a mountain under which 41 workers became trapped two weeks ago while working on a highway tunnel in the Himalayas, government officials said. The men, construction workers from some of India's poorest states, have been stuck in the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel being built in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on Nov. 12. But rescuing them will take much longer than previously hoped as rescuers have switched to manual drilling following damage to the drilling machine, officials said on Saturday. Initially, the rescue plan involved pushing a pipe wide enough to pull the trapped men out on wheeled stretchers.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Deepak Patil, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Mayank Bhardwaj, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, Rescuers, Reuters, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ AI and your Customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Jon Fortt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Join us, you must, to learn the ways of the Force behind AI and how it shapes the journey of the customer, it does. Transform, we can, the path of customers, with AI's wisdom, as our guide. Journey, we shall, into the realms of chatbots, personalization, and recommendation engines, unlocking the doors to customer delight, we will. The future of customer experience, AI will shape, and together, explore it we shall. Anshu Bhardwaj, Walmart Global Technology & Commerce Technologies SVP & COOVirginia Suliman, Invitation Homes Chief Information & Digital OfficerBernardo Tavares, Kenvue Chief Technology & Data OfficerModerator: Jon Fortt, CNBC "Closing Bell: Overtime" Co-Anchor

Persons: Anshu Bhardwaj, COO Virginia Suliman, Bernardo Tavares, Jon Fortt Organizations: Force, Walmart Global Technology, Commerce Technologies, COO, Homes, Information, Digital, Kenvue, Technology, CNBC

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau upon his arrival at Bharat Mandapam convention center for the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. Canada on Thursday pulled out 41 diplomats from India, and had earlier paused trade treaty talks with India. India imports potash, lentils, and energy products such as coal, coke and briquettes among other goods from Canada. Bilateral trade between Canada and India touched $8 billion in 2022. Canada has invested more than $3.6 billion in India with over 40% of that being in services and infrastructure, according to Invest India.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Justin Trudeau, Evan Vucci, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, There's, Neha Arora, Nikunj, Mayank Bhardwaj, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Indian, Canada, Bharat, Invest India, Reuters, JSW Steel, Canada's Teck Resources, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Canada, Ottawa, Surrey, Vancouver, Canada's Teck

☆ India reviewing floor price for basmati rice exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The Indian government said on Sunday it is actively reviewing the floor price it has set for basmati rice exports even as it continues to curb overseas shipments. The decision comes after New Delhi, the world’s biggest rice exporter, said on Saturday said it will maintain a $1,200 per ton minimum export price (MEP) on basmati rice shipments, which was first imposed in August to calm local prices. Following the meeting, a review of the floor price "is under active consideration of the government," the statement said. The MEP aims to help authorities ensure that non-basmati rice is not exported as basmati rice. India in July banned exports of non-basmati white rice and later imposed a 20% duty on exports of parboiled rice.

Persons: Saturday's, Mayank Bhardwaj, Rajendra, Giles Elgood Organizations: Thomson Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, India

A view of damaged vehicles after flash floods, caused by a lake burst in Singtam, Sikkim, India, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Acquire Licensing RightsRANGPO, India, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The death toll from flash floods unleashed by a glacial lake bursting its banks in India's Himalayas climbed to 74 on Monday with 101 people still missing days after the calamity struck, according to provincial officials. He said 101 people were still missing in the latest of a series of natural disasters caused by extreme weather events in the Himalayas. Fourteen army personnel were among the missing, a defence ministry statement said. Parveen Shama, the top district official of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, said 41 bodies were found in the district.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Vijay Bhushan Pathak, Parveen Shama, Mukesh Kumar, Kumar, Baiju Sharma, Sharma, Subrata Nag Choudhury, Mayank Bhardwaj, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Residents, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Singtam, Sikkim, India, Lohnak, Gangtok, Sikkim's, West Bengal, Jalpaiguri, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Rangpo, Kolkata

☆ Deadly Afghanistan earthquakes over the years
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Mayank Bhardwaj | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Afghan man walks past a damaged house after the recent earthquake in Wor Kali village in the Barmal district of Paktika province, Afghanistan, June 25, 2022. Afghanistan, hemmed in by mountains, has a long history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan. KUNAR, September 2022As Afghanistan was recovering from strong earthquakes three months earlier, tremors hit Kunar province in September, killing eight. HINDU KUSH, 2002Twin earthquakes in the Hindu Kush in March 2002 killed a total of 1,100. HINDU KUSH, 1991An earthquake in the Hindu Kush killed 848 people across Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Soviet Union.

Persons: Ali Khara, Afghanistan's, Mayank Bhardwaj, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Afghan, Barmal, Paktika province, Afghanistan, DELHI, Pakistan, BADAKHSHAN, Badakhshan, Jurm, KUNAR, Kunar, Paktika, India, Soviet Union, Iran, TAKHAR, Takhar

☆ Deadly Afghanistan Earthquakes Over the Years
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Afghanistan, hemmed in by mountains, has a long history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan. KUNAR, September 2022As Afghanistan was recovering from strong earthquakes three months earlier, tremors hit Kunar province in September, killing eight. HINDU KUSH, 2015A quake of magnitude 7.5, one of the largest in Afghanistan's recorded history, killed 399 people in Afghanistan and neighbours Pakistan and India. HINDU KUSH, 2002Twin earthquakes in the Hindu Kush in March 2002 killed a total of 1,100. HINDU KUSH, 1991An earthquake in the Hindu Kush killed 848 people across Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Soviet Union.

Persons: Mayank Bhardwaj, Afghanistan's, William Mallard Organizations: Mayank Bhardwaj NEW DELHI Locations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, BADAKHSHAN, Badakhshan, Jurm, KUNAR, Kunar, Paktika, India, Soviet Union, Iran, TAKHAR, Takhar

☆ Sikh group protests outside Golden Temple over killing in Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A sign outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple is seen after the killing on its grounds in June 2023 of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Sikh activists on Friday staged a demonstration outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, in the northern Indian state of Punjab, demanding punishment for the killers of a Sikh separatist in Canada. Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told parliament that there may be a link between New Delhi and the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June in British Columbia. Holding posters of Nijjar, the protesters outside the holiest of Sikh shrines shouted slogans asking New Delhi to stop extrajudicial operations against separatists seeking Punjab as an independent state. Nijjar, who worked as a plumber, left the north Indian state of Punjab a quarter-century ago and became a Canadian citizen.

Persons: Nanak, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Chris Helgren, Justin Trudeau, Paramjit Singh Mand, Dal, Kanwar Pal, Sunil Kataria, Mayank Bhardwaj, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Canadian, Dal Khalsa, Thomson Locations: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, DELHI, Golden, Amritsar, Punjab, New Delhi, India, Canadian, Sikh

☆ India's banking system liquidity deficit jumps to over 4-year high
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Dharamraj Dhutia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India’s banking system liquidity deficit is at its widest in over four years ago, amid tax outflows and the lack of any major inflows, traders said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Hemanshi Kamani/File PhotoBanking system liquidity deficit jumped to 1.47 trillion rupees ($17.67 billion) as on September 18, the highest single day shortfall since April 23, 2019, while banks have borrowed a record 1.97 trillion rupees from the central bank’s Marginal Standing Facility window. Advance tax payments took place last week, while outflows towards Goods and Services tax will be completed by Wednesday, with bankers estimating aggregate outflows of up to 2.50 trillion rupees. Moreover, “another drain on rupee liquidity could be from RBI’s (Reserve Bank of India) FX intervention if depreciation pressures on the rupee persist,” said Gaura Sen Gupta, an economist with IDFC First Bank. The liquidity deficit will, however, narrow towards the end of this month and the beginning of October as government spending picks up and the I-CRR is completely wound down.

Persons: Hemanshi, ”, Gaura Sen Gupta, Upasna Bhardwaj Organizations: REUTERS, Goods, Services, Reserve Bank of India, IDFC, Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank Locations: MUMBAI, India, RBI’s

☆ Afghan Students Urge India to Extend Visas and Restart Scholarships
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

India has in the past offered scholarships to thousands of overseas students from countries such as Afghanistan to pursue undergraduate and post-graduate degrees. "The students are neither getting scholarships nor permission to work in India," he said. The ICCR has previously offered study grants to nearly 1,000 Afghan nationals to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies in India. These grants consisted of a monthly stipend of between 25,000 rupees ($301) and 28,500 rupees to Afghan students, on top of subsidised tuition fees and travel expenses. "I want to continue my studies in India, but the government has not released our stipends," said Parwana Hussaini, who came to India in 2016 for higher studies.

Persons: Manoj Kumar, Mayank Bhardwaj, Kumar Tuhin, ICCR, Parwana Hussaini, David Holmes Organizations: Mayank Bhardwaj NEW DELHI, Afghanistan Students ' Association, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, External Affairs, External Affairs Ministry Locations: India, New Delhi, Afghanistan

☆ India imposes anti-dumping duty on some Chinese steel for 5 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

China Daily via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 11 (Reuters) - India on Monday imposed an anti-dumping duty on some Chinese steel for five years, according to a government notification. On Sept 4, India's steel secretary, Nagendra Nath Sinha, said New Delhi was monitoring the steel imports situation after the steel industry raised concerns over potential dumping by Chinese sellers. During April-July, China was the second biggest steel exporter to India, after South Korea, selling 0.6 million metric tons, up 62% from the same period a year earlier. In all, India imported 2 million metric tons of finished steel in the period, the highest since 2020 and up 23% from a year earlier. China, the world's top steel producer, exported mostly cold- rolled coil or sheets to India.

Persons: Nagendra Nath Sinha, Shivani Tanna, Mayank Bhardwaj, Chris Reese, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Thomson Locations: Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China, India, New Delhi, South Korea

Police stand on a road outside 'Bharat Mandapam', the main venue of the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, India, September 3, 2023. REUTERS/Altaf Hussain/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Sept 10 (Reuters) - India's strong leadership made it possible for G20 leaders to reach consensus in intense discussions on a summit message urging nations to shun use of force in territorial disputes, a senior European Union official said on Sunday. "Without India's leadership it would not have been possible," he added, referring to the summit declaration. The EU official, however, said there was not a single word on the Black Sea grain deal from Russia, which finds itself more isolated after the summit. The official said, "The European Union leadership made the points very strongly during the session.

Persons: Bharat Mandapam, Altaf Hussain, Putin, Manoj Kumar, Swati Bhat, Sudipto Ganguly, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Group, EU, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Leaders' Declaration had been adopted on the first day of the weekend G20 summit in New Delhi. "On the back of the hard work of all the teams, we have received consensus on the G20 Leaders Summit Declaration. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the declaration had "very strong language about Russia's illegal war in Ukraine". The declaration also called for the implementation of the Black Sea initiative for the safe flow of grain, food and fertiliser from Ukraine and Russia. Despite the compromise over the Leaders' Declaration, the summit had been expected to be dominated by the West and its allies.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Evan Vucci, Germany's Scholz, Modi, Olaf Scholz, Rishi Sunak, Sergei Lavrov, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India's, Biden, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Scholz, Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman, Japan's Fumio, Jon, Manoj Kumar, Katya Golubkova, Krishn Kaushik, Mayank Bhardwaj, Michel Rose, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Sanjeev Miglani, Jacqueline Wong, Kim Coghill, Alexander Smith Organizations: Indian, REUTERS Acquire, British, Foreign, INDIA, India's sherpa, Bharat, African Union, West, United Arab, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Ukraine, Russia, DELHI, Ukrainian, Moscow, CHINA, China, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, Saudi, U.S, Delhi, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, United Arab Emirates

NEW DELHI, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The European Union castigated Russia on Saturday for its "cynicism" in pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal, saying the offer of a million tons of grain to African countries was a "parody of generosity". "And what cynicism ... you did not accept this," Michel said in comments on the grain deal he directed at the Russian summit representative, Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. "Not only have you decided to pull out of this agreement on the Black Sea, but at the same time you are attacking the port infrastructure," he said. "You are blocking the ports that give access to the Black Sea, and even to the Danube." "What cynicism and contempt for African countries," he said, adding that the Black Sea deal had delivered exports of more than 30 million tons so far, chiefly to the most vulnerable nations.

Persons: Charles Michel, Michel, Sergei Lavrov, Tayyip Erdogan, Fumio Kishida, Erdogan's, Shivangi Acharya, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Mayank Bhardwaj, Manoj Kumar, Ekaterina Golubkova, Clarence Fernandez, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: European Union, Russia, European Council, Moscow's, United, Japanese, Reuters, Thomson Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, Africa, Russia, Russian, United Nations, Turkey, Moscow, Ukraine, Europe, Japan, Kyiv

[1/3] View of deserted roads ahead of the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, September 8, 2023. Nearly 130,000 police and paramilitary security personnel have been deployed across the city, mostly in the New Delhi district, with the air force providing cover from aerial threats. "While the entire country is a host, Delhi will bear maximum responsibility" for the G20 summit, Modi said. “The tourists coming to Delhi for G20 should look at our shops, buy something. Newspaper advertisements that the Delhi Police has been publishing every day with traffic advisories and route maps for the general public, say: “India is proud to host the 18th G-20 Summit”.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman, Japan's Fumio, Sanjeev Mehra, Narendra Modi, Modi, Yashowarthan, ”, Bhava ”, Krishn Kaushik, Joeseph Campbell, Mayank Bhardwaj, YP Rajesh, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, India, U.S, Market Traders Association, Authorities, Delhi Police, New Delhi Municipal Corporation, Offices, YP, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Saudi, capital's, Connaught, Delhi, Taxis, Dariba Kalan

☆ India allows exports of non-basmati white rice trapped at ports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Mayank Bhardwaj | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

On July 20, India surprised buyers by banning exports of widely consumed non-basmati white rice to control rising domestic prices. The export ban trapped thousands of tonnes of non-basmati white rice at ports, leaving traders facing losses. Before the July ban on non-basmati white rice exports, overseas shipments of the grade would attract a 20% tax. After the DGFT order, around 150,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice cargoes would be shipped out of various ports, said Prem Garg, president of the Indian Rice Exporters Federation. After banning non-basmati white rice exports, India on Friday imposed a 20% tax on parboiled rice shipments and introduced a floor price for overseas sales of basmati rice, as part of efforts to keep a lid on local prices.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Prem Garg, Garg, Mayank Bhardwaj, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, Foreign Trade, Rice, Federation, West, Thomson Locations: Navi Mumbai, India, Africa, Asia . New Delhi, African

[1/2] Sugar mill workers load harvested sugar cane in a tractor trolly in Sangli district, in the western state of Maharashtra, India, December 3, 2022. India allowed mills to export only 6.1 million tonnes of sugar during the current season to Sept. 30, after letting them sell a record 11.1 million tonnes last season. In 2016, India imposed a 20% tax on sugar exports to curb overseas sales. Patchy rains would cut sugar output in the 2023/24 season and even reduce planting for the 2024/25 season, an industry official, who declined to be named, said. The recent increase in sugar prices eliminates any possibility of exports," said another government source.

Persons: Rajendra Jadhav, Mayank Bhardwaj, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Sangli district, Maharashtra, India, Rights MUMBAI, DELHI, New York, London, Karnataka, New Delhi, Mumbai, Thailand, Brazil

☆ India landslides block trucks taking supplies to strife-torn Manipur
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rescue workers remove the debris as a search operation continues in the aftermath of a landslide following torrential rain in Shimla in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, India, August 17, 2023. Rocks and mud engulfed part of a highway near Imphal, the capital of Manipur, following Wednesday's rains, stranding 400 trucks, police said, adding that incessant rain was hampering efforts to clear the road. In the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand, at least 16 people died in landslides this week with 15 missing by Wednesday, government figures showed. At least 88 people died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh last month, with 74 dying since June in Uttarakhand in events triggered by natural disasters, official data shows. Reporting by Zarir Hussain in Guwahati and Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stringer, Praveen Bhardwaj, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Zarir Hussain, Shivam Patel, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Indian Express, Thomson Locations: Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, DELHI, Manipur, Pakistan, Nepal, Imphal, Uttarakhand, Guwahati, New Delhi

The imports would allow New Delhi to intervene more effectively in the market to drive down wheat prices that stoked inflation to a 15-month high in July. "The government is exploring the possibility of imports through private trade and government-to-government deals. The decision will be made cautiously," one of the sources told Reuters, when asked about wheat imports from Russia. Wholesale wheat prices in India surged around 10% over two months to a seven-month high in August on limited supplies. Wheat stocks at government warehouses were at 28.3 million tons on Aug. 1, 20% below the 10-year average.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Sanjeev Chopra, Aftab Ahmed, Rajendra Jadhav, Mayank Bhardwaj, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Nikolske, Donetsk Region, Russian, DELHI, MUMBAI, India, New Delhi, Mumbai

☆ Death toll after landslides in Indian Himalayas rises to 57; 10 still missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A damaged portion of Shimla-Kalka heritage rail track is pictured following torrential rain in Shimla in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, India, August 15, 2023. REUTERS/StringerNEW DELHI, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Rescuers pulled out more bodies on Tuesday after landslides in India's Himayalas over the weekend buried homes and buildings, killing at least 57 people and leaving 10 still trapped or missing, officials said. The destruction from the landslides was severe in India's Himachal Pradesh, where structures were swept away under rocks and falling trees, roads had caved in, and power and the railway network disrupted. Two people also died in neighbouring Uttarakhand state in rain-related incidents. Heavy rain is forecast to continue until Wednesday in parts of Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring Uttarakhand.

Persons: Stringer, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Praveen Bhardwaj, Bhardwaj, P.L, Sharma, Lata, Shivam Patel, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, India's Himayalas, Pakistan, Nepal, India's Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, New Delhi

☆ Over 50 killed in Indian Himalayas as rain triggers landslides
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Shivam Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW DELHI, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Torrential rain in India's Himalayas triggered landslides over the weekend that have killed over 50 people, with the death toll expected to rise as more than 20 remain trapped or missing, officials said on Monday. Television footage from India's Himachal Pradesh state showed houses flattened by landslides, buses and cars hanging on the edge of precipices after roads gave way, and hundreds of people at rescue sites as emergency workers struggled to clear debris. [1/3]Rescue workers remove the debris as they search for survivors after a landslide following torrential rain in Shimla in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, India, August 14, 2023. Schools and other educational institutes were ordered to close in Himachal Pradesh and people in vulnerable areas were being moved to relief shelters, state officials said. Uttarakhand state authorities announced that the Char Dham pilgrimage route would be closed until Tuesday following landslides.

Persons: Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Sukhu, Stringer, Praveen Bhardwaj, Bhardwaj, Shivam Patel, Saurabh Sharma, Sakshi Dayal, Robert Birsel, Christina Fincher, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Twitter, Reuters, REUTERS, Uttarakhand Disaster Management, India Meteorological Department, Thomson Locations: DELHI, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Himachal Pradesh, precipices, Shimla, Solan, Mandi district, Himachal, Uttarakhand, New Delhi, Lucknow

☆ Robust rains accelerate rice planting in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Mayank Bhardwaj | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Higher rice planting in India, the world's second-biggest producer of the grain, will ease concerns about lower output of the staple. Farmers typically start planting rice, corn, cotton, soybeans, sugarcane and peanuts, among other crops, from June 1, when monsoon rains are expected to begin drenching India. For June and July together, India's monsoon rains were 5% above average, falling 10% below normal in June but rebounding to 13% above average in July. Farmers planted 17.9 million hectares (44.2 million acres) with oilseeds, including soybeans, 2.2% more than a year earlier. Corn was planted on 7.6 million hectares (18.8 million acres), up from 7.5 million hectares a year earlier.

Persons: Amit Dave, Mayank Bhardwaj, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Farmers, Thomson Locations: Indian, Ahmedabad, India, Farmers, drenching India, Punjab, Haryana

Indian rice stocks, including unmilled husk varieties at state warehouses, totalled 37.6 million metric tons on Aug 1, the sources told Reuters. Stocks held as of Aug 1 include 24.6 million metric tons of rice and 13 million metric tons of the unmilled variety, the sources said. State-run warehouses must have 13.5 million metric tons of rice, including strategic reserves of 2 million metric tons for the quarter beginning July 1, according to local government rules. FCI bought 84.6 million metric tons of rice paddy from domestic farmers during the 2022-23 marketing year, yielding around 57 million metric tons of rice. Indian farmers harvested a record 135.5 million metric tons of rice in 2022-23, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.

Persons: Rajendra, Stocks, Krishna Rao, Rao, Mayank Bhardwaj, Rajendra Jadhav, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Food Corporation of India, FCI, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, El, Rice, Association, Thomson Locations: Kakinada Anchorage, Andhra Pradesh, India, DELHI, MUMBAI, Delhi, B.V

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