There is no El Nino effect this year and the monsoon thus far has been almost normal, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) clarified on Thursday.
According to ICAR scientists, the monsoon will become normal in the next couple of days and there’s no need for any contingency plans.
Addressing reporters on the sidelines of the two-day 11th Regional Committee No. 2 meeting of ICAR here on Thursday, ICAR director-general S. Ayyappan and director of Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (Crida) B. Venkateswara Rao said that the El Nino effect would not be felt even during August though there might be some impact in the month of September.
They said that the El Nino signal was weak and normal crop sown area would be achieved by July 20. Crops have already been sown on about 30 lakh hectares.
The good rains during the last few days have helped farmers and there is no cause of concern, though sowings in maize and pulses are lagging behind, they said.
Top agricultural scientists from across the country are meeting in Hyderabad to come up with an action plan for the state, besides West Bengal, Orissa and Andaman and Nicobar islands. Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan inaugurated the programme.
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Teenage girl in maha leaves newborn to die
Thane, July 19: A teenage girl has been booked for allegedly concealing the birth of her child and leaving him to die in tribal dominated Mokhada taluka of the district.
On July 16, some residents of Kolsmseth village noticed the body of a new born in a field and alerted the police.
The police reached the spot and seized the body.
While probing the case, they came to know that a 17-year-old girl had recently delivered a baby boy in the area.
On interrogation, the girl confessed to have abandoned her son, born out of wedlock, on pressure from her parents as they wanted her to marry a person of their choice whereas she was in a relationship with another man.
The police booked the girl on Wednesday under Section 318 of the IPC (concealment of birth by secret disposal of dead body).
“We have booked the accused and are waiting for her to recover before we arrest her. She is not well since she delivered the child,” Mokhada police station inspector S.K. Walvi said. — PTI