RAHUL TARGETS PM AS NEW BANK FRAUD EMERGES
As yet another bank fraud came to light, Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Modi Government on Saturday, alleging a Delhi-based diamond jeweller involved in the scam “disappeared” like Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya while the government looked the other way. He said the promoter of Dwarka Das Seth International, who was booked by the CBI for an alleged fraud of Rs 389.85 crore towards Oriental Bank of Commerce, operated with the same modus operandi of fake LoUs as Nirav Modi.
India has received only a third of its normal winter rainfall during January and February, the lowest in five years, leading to water shortage in many states that could increase agricultural cost of production, hamper productivity, and have implications for residual moisture for the early summer sowing cycle.
The shortfall comes at a time of agrarian distress, frequent farmer protests, and a government effort to address structural issues in agriculture.
Between January 1 and February 21, rainfall in the country as a whole was 64% deficient, data from the India Meteorological Department shows. This translates to a “large deficiency”. Last year, rains in these two main winter months were 5% surplus.
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Rajasthan had the highest shortfall at -97%, followed by UP at -81%. In central India, Odisha’s shortfall was -99%. Daman and Diu has had no rains, with -100% deficiency.
Winter rains are mostly the result of western disturbances — moisture-laden winds originating in the Mediterranean region — which have been very weak, a Met official said.