Mumbai, May 1 (IANS) On the occasion of Maharashtra Day, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday addressed the state, balancing a vision of rapid industrial growth with a warning for the agricultural sector regarding the upcoming monsoon. Citing Meteorological Department forecasts, CM Fadnavis advised that the El Niño effect might lead to below-average rainfall for the 2026 season.“Our Kharif season is entirely dependent on rain. I urge farmers to take these forecasts seriously. Do not rus…
Latest El Nino News & Updates
New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) India’s agricultural outlook for FY27 likely to remain uneven despite underlying stability, with a 92 per cent monsoon forecast and a 35 per cent probability of deficient rainfall emerging as key risks, though strong government support is expected to provide some cushion, a report said on Wednesday.According to a report by smallcase, while aggregate farm output remains supported by strong production of staple crops, underlying stress points persist due to weakness in…
Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday directed officials to enforce stringent water planning and conservation measures to ensure adequate drinking water supply till the end of August 2026, warning of potential rainfall disruptions due to the El Nino phenomenon. The directive comes even as the state currently holds 653.63 thousand million cubic feet of water across its dams, an increase of 101.77 thousand million cubic feet from 551.86 thousand milli…
New Delhi, April 21 (IANS) India’s two-wheeler sales touched record high in FY26, with domestic wholesale volumes surging to around 22 million units, a report said on Tuesday.The report from ICRA estimated that wholesale volumes grew by around 20 per cent in March 2026, while retail volumes jumped 28.7 per cent on a YoY basis, and two-wheeler domestic volumes grew by approximately 11 per cent for the full fiscal year.The ratings agency forecasted two-wheeler wholesale volume growth to moderate…
Mumbai, April 20 (IANS) Amid a potential El Nino threat, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday directed all state departments to prioritise disaster mitigation through rigorous water planning, accelerated soil conservation, and the rejuvenation of old water resources.Presiding over a high-level review meeting, he emphasised that the state must remain “battle-ready” to minimise the impact of a predicted rainfall deficit.Fadnavis asked the administration to immediately focus o…
New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday directed the Agriculture Secretary and concerned senior officials to ensure that all necessary arrangements are made well in advance to safeguard farmers’ interests.The meeting to reviews Kharif preparedness extensively discussed weather forecasts, water availability, crop conditions, arrangements for seeds and other agricultural inputs, states’ preparations, and action plans to cope with potential adverse weat…
New Delhi, April 13 (IANS) The 2026 southwest monsoon seasonal (June to September) rainfall over the country is most likely to be below normal or around 95-90 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.Releasing its Long Range Forecast for the 2026 Southwest Monsoon season rainfall, the IMD said that the seasonal rainfall over the country as a whole is likely to be 92 per cent of the LPA with a model error of plus-minus 5 per cent.The LPA …
New Delhi, April 13 (IANS) India’s inflation rate, based on the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) series with 2024 as the base year, edged up to 3.4 per cent in March compared to the same month of the previous year, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics on Monday.The commodities that recorded the highest inflation during the month were silver jewellery, which saw a 148.61 per cent jump in prices, and gold jewellery, which clocked a 45.92 per cent increase in prices.Overall food i…
Brussels, April 10 (IANS) Global sea surface temperatures rose to their second-highest level on record in March and edged closer to the peaks seen during the last El Nino episode, the European Union’s (EU) climate monitor said Friday, suggesting the climate may be entering a new warming phase later this year.Average sea surface temperature over the extra-polar oceans, spanning 60 degrees south to 60 degrees north, reached 20.97 degrees Celsius in March, the second-highest level on record for the…
Chennai, April 9 (IANS) Tamil Nadu is witnessing a steady rise in summer temperatures, with heatwave conditions intensifying across the state. At least seven locations recorded temperatures above 37 degrees on Wednesday, signalling the onset of a stronger and more persistent heatwave this season.Weather experts attribute the early spike in temperatures to the impact of El Niño, which is expected to make this year’s summer hotter than usual across southern India. Even in the first week of Marc…