Rabi sowing at an all-time high
NEW DELHI: After a bountiful kharif season because of a good monsoon, planting of rabi or winter-sown crops has expanded beyond the normal acreage, holding out hopes of a bumper harvest.
According to data released by the farm ministry, sowing of rabi crops has crossed last year’s alltime-high area sown at over 65.2 million hectares so far. This is higher than the normal acreage of 62 million hectares for the season and 1.6% higher compared to area sown a year ago.
Area sown under wheat, rapeseed, mustard and gram has reached an all-time high, surpassing records, data shows.
Wheat has been sown on 33.7 million hectares, surpassing last rabi season’s all-time high of 33.6 million hectares. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have shown an expanded area under wheat, making up for less area under wheat in Punjab, Rajasthan, UP, Bihar and Gujarat.
In Madhya Pradesh, the area under wheat has increased for three consecutive years, from 5.3 million hectares during 2017-18, to 6 million hectares during 2018-19 and 8 million hectares during 2019-20. This year, so far, the area cultivated under wheat in the state has increased further to 8.8 million hectares.
The area under coarse cereals has however lagged 8.2%, including under major rabi cereals like jowar, maize and barley.
The area cultivated under gram has surpassed last season’s all-time high area sown of 10.7 million hectares to stand at 10.9 million hectares because of higher plantings in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The area under rapeseed and mustard, the main winter oilseeds has increased by 6.7% to 7.3 million hectares. This is the highest ever area cultivated under rabi oilseeds. “Rajasthan so far has the largest area under rapeseed and mustard, accounting for 35-40% of the total area sown in India,” according to the Centre For Monitoring Indian Economy.
LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday directed the state government officials to regularly monitor the availability of job avenues under ‘Mission Rozgar’.
He said list of those registered on the state’s employment portal should be reviewed and names of those who had been given a job should be removed from it.
“This would help in providing employment to a large number of youths,” said the CM while reviewing work of various departments at a high-level meeting at Lok Bhawan here.
He said a large number of youths were being benefitted under the Mission Rozgar and it should continue.
NOIDA: The Noida police seized 270 kilograms of illegal drugs in the last one year. They also registered 554 FIRS under the narcotics drug and psychotropic substances Act and arrested 577 people.
Police estimate the value of the haul at ₹23 crore.
Gautam Budh Nagar commissioner of police (CP) Alok Singh said that the seizures and arrests indicated the presence of organised gangs in the district. “We are working on how narcotics is pumped into the district. I hope that very soon all gangs involved will be busted,” the police commissioner said.
Under the seized haul were 550 tablets of painkiller Tramadol and sedative Nitrazepam, 1887.94 kg ganja, over 30 kilograms of charas and heroin.
“We also found that a few drug peddlers bought drugs from other countries using the Dark Web (the internet that is not easily accessed through usual search engines). We are coordinating with the other agencies to curb this menace,” he said. “The police works on two objectives: taking focused action against the drug smugglers and educating the general public about drug abuse.”
The commissioner said that different cells of police commissionerate are focused on busting of the interstate network of traffickers. “The concentrated effort on the arrest of local drug peddlers and suppliers at the police station level, has resulted in busting several networks and arrest of drug suppliers with links in other states. The police have also prepared a list of the hot spot of drugs sale and supply in the district, based on the complaints and anticipated gathering places of the addicts,” he said.
COMMISSIONER SAID THAT DIFFERENT POLICE CELLS ARE FOCUSED ON BUSTING DRUG TRAFFICKERS