India’s lifeline, the southwest monsoon, has stopped in its tracks. Climate scientists are trying to put up a brave front, claiming that it will revive within a week, but it is obvious that the monsoon is not behaving as predicted.

With the sudden demise of D. Sudarsanam, the Congress Legislature Party leader of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the factional rivalry in the state unit has once again come to the fore. The reason is to get hold of the post of the CLP leader.

A good rainfall in July is very crucial for agriculture as sowing for the kharif crop is at its peak during this period. Over 235 million farmers across the country have been praying for a normal monsoon season this year against the backdrop of a severe drought last year.

The Supreme Court on Monday decried the Karnataka government decision effecting changes in the rule for admission of serving MBBS doctors and dentists in the PG courses by doing away with the “rural weightage” for serving the rural people.

The National Advisory Council (NAC), headed by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, will consider ways to boost Indian agriculture as part of its drive to review the draft food security bill on July 1.

The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), has submitted an affidavit to the Bombay high court stating that it does not support the setting up of private helipads in Mumbai.

In an effort to standardise education, curriculum and facilities in schools across the country, Union human resource development ministry has proposed to create a National Institute for Assessment and Evaluation. The proposal, envisioned by Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal, aims to evaluate school boards across the country and establish certain set standards of teaching, evaluation and course curricula in schools.

The Union home ministry on Monday defended the CRPF which came under attack for firing incidents in Jammu and Kashmir after the paramilitary force fired at a mob in Sopore which claimed one life. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has voiced strong concern over civilians becoming victims of action by paramilitary

A senior Central government official and his aides were bribed $32,000 in cash and jewellery while their travel and hotel expenses were also picked up by a subsidiary of Dow Chemicals, which took over the Union Carbide company after the 1984 Bhopal gas leak tragedy, to push its substandard pesticides in the Indian market, a case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) says.

Throwing the ball in Pakistan’s court, Indian authorities have suggested Pakistan take action against the perpetrators of the 26/11 terror attack on the basis of “voice samples’’ in possession of Indian authorities as well as the descriptions and details provided by American-Pakistani LeT terrorist David Headley to the FBI in the US and the National Investigation Agency.