Zia Haq reports on public policy, economy and agriculture. Particularly interested in development economics and growth theories.
Articles by Zia Haq
Steady supply leads to crash in onion prices
Prices of onions usually spiral during November, knocking household budgets. This year, however, steady supplies have caused prices to crash, hurting farmers, market data show
Updated on Nov 25, 2022 05:16 AM IST
Savarkar’s plea to British was part of a tactical move: Assam CM Himanta Sarma
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has returned from a high-voltage campaign in Gujarat.
Updated on Nov 21, 2022 04:56 AM IST
Zia Haq, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Punjab seeks shorter-duration paddy to reduce stubble burning
Farmers will adopt shorter duration varieties if they are as robust as Pusa-44, and our institution is ready to extend all necessary help,” said AK Singh, chief of Indian Agricultural Research Institute
Updated on Nov 21, 2022 02:01 AM IST
Zia Haq , Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PM Modi to commemorate Ahom general on his 400th birth anniversary: Assam CM
A flagship event will be held at the national capital’s Vigyan Bhawan on November 23-24, Sarma said.
Updated on Nov 20, 2022 06:51 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
India to shift to USB C as common charging port for all smart devices
The stakeholders reached a consensus at a meeting of an inter-ministerial task force set up by the Union government, according to consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar.
Updated on Nov 17, 2022 05:24 AM IST
Govt to launch unified portal for multi-brand gadget repair
The single-point portal will effectively roll out the consumer affairs ministry’s ‘right to repair’ policy announced in July
Updated on Nov 16, 2022 11:12 AM IST
Retail inflation eases to three-month low in October
Consumer inflation in October slowed to a three-month low of 6.7% on-year due to moderating food prices, compared to a 7.4% rise in the previous month
Published on Nov 14, 2022 06:38 PM IST
PM Modi to inaugurate fertiliser plant in Telangana tomorrow
PM Modi will inaugurate a plant of Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd in Telangana on November 12, which is expected to add 1.2 million tonne of indigenous urea production capacity
Updated on Nov 11, 2022 03:13 AM IST
Water link to air crisis: 2009 Punjab law spark for stubble fires
In north India’s food-bowl states, farmers set aflame paddy stalks around October to clear their fields for their next crop. This releases millions of tonnes of smoke, carbon dioxide stored in plant biomass, toxins and planet-warming gases in the atmosphere. Some environmentalists reckon this to be the deadliest spell of pollution in all of South Asia.
Updated on Nov 09, 2022 10:56 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
Govt panels to assess climate crisis impact on crop yields
India recorded its hottest March on record this year, which shaved off 3 million tonne from its wheat output. In September, a late surge in monsoon flooded several states, destroying oilseeds and pulses, and delaying the rice harvest.
Updated on Nov 06, 2022 08:24 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
India allows 6million tonne of sugar export
The limit on exportable quantity comes amid the Union government’s efforts to rapidly scale up its ethanol-blending programme.
Updated on Nov 06, 2022 02:59 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
Cabinet approves additional subsidy for P&K fertilisers
The move will cushion prices of crop nutrients that are governed by the Centre’s nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) scheme
Updated on Nov 03, 2022 12:50 AM IST
Climate crisis threatens India’s food security, warn scientists
Climate scientists have warned that scorching heatwaves in India, among other extreme weather events, are “most certainly” being driven by global warming, posing a risk to the country’s food security.
Updated on Nov 02, 2022 05:00 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
Genetically modified mustard may take 2 years to reach farms
The permission for commercial cultivation of indigenously developed genetically modified (GM) mustard by India’s biotech regulator on October 18 is final, an official aware of the matter said on Thursday, requesting anonymity.
Updated on Oct 28, 2022 01:25 AM IST
GM mustard is ‘safe and effective’, says its inventor
India’s biotech regulator, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, approved genetically modified mustard developed by Pental and his team at Delhi University for commercial cultivation
Published on Oct 27, 2022 12:16 AM IST
Philippines approves cultivation of Bt brinjal
A GM plant is one in which genes have been tweaked or introduced from outside to give it new traits, such as pest resistance or nutritional enhancement.
Published on Oct 27, 2022 12:10 AM IST
Zia Haq I Edited by Shilpa Ambardar, New Delhi
GM mustard gets regulator approval for field cultivation
India’s biotech regulator, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), has approved genetically modified (GM) mustard for commercial cultivation, paving the way for the country’s first transgenic food crop, nearly 15 years after its inventor, a public-sector scientist, first worked on it in his Delhi University lab and fields near the national capital.
Published on Oct 26, 2022 11:47 PM IST
Zia Haq & Jayashree Nandi, New Delhi
India’s biotech regulator GEAC approves commercial cultivation of GM mustard
The clearance for GM mustard by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), India’s state-run biotech regulator, means the crop is fit for environmental release
Updated on Oct 26, 2022 01:53 PM IST
Late rice harvesting delays wheat sowing
The October-to-March rabi crop season accounts for nearly half of India’s food output. After initially patchy rains this year led to a lower rice crop, a late surge in showers in September and early October flooded several food-bowl states.
Updated on Oct 26, 2022 04:53 AM IST
Zia Haq, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Centre stocks imported pulses, extends levy cuts to tame prices
India’s retail inflation accelerated in September to a five-month high of 7.41% year-on-year, driven by food prices, which stood at a record 8.6%, according to latest official data.
Cabinet nod to 5.5% MSP hike for wheat
The Union Cabinet on economic affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved hikes in minimum support prices (MSPs) for rabi or winter-sown crops (2023-24).
Updated on Oct 19, 2022 05:20 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
Govt raises MSPs for rabi, or winter-sown, crops
The highest increase in minimum support price (MSP) is for lentils, while wheat MSP is hiked from ₹2,015 to ₹2,125 a quintal
Updated on Oct 18, 2022 02:55 PM IST
Centre may sell cereals in open market to rein in prices
India has a surplus of federally held stocks of rice and wheat, and the government could intervene in the open market “if needed” by selling cereals at a discount to curb prices, food secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said on Monday.
Published on Oct 18, 2022 12:23 AM IST
Modi releases ₹16k crore as 12th PM-Kisan payout
PM Modi launches the government’s One Nation One Fertiliser programme and asked cultivators to adopt new technologies and strive to be atmanirbhar (self-sufficient)
Published on Oct 17, 2022 11:44 PM IST
Centre may nudge states for support over inflation
“Only monetary policy and the interest rate management (done by the central bank) is not enough to keep inflationary pressures under check. The Centre is supplementing it with various fiscal measures such as adjustments of excise and customs duties,” one of them said. “But, states should also contribute in easing supply pressure.”
Updated on Oct 17, 2022 05:40 AM IST
Rajeev Jayaswal & Zia Haq, New Delhi
PM Modi to release PM-Kisan 12th tranche tomorrow, interact with farmers
During the event on Monday, PM Modi will also inaugurate a two-day agricultural conference titled “PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022”, which will host an agricultural start-up conclave at the Delhi-based state-run Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
Updated on Oct 16, 2022 04:45 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
‘Biased, erroneous’: Centre rejects hunger index report
In 2021, India was ranked 101 among 116 countries by the hunger index. Since the total number of countries evaluated between the previous year and 2022 vary and there are some differences in the source data, India’s rankings for 2022 and 2021 aren’t comparable, the GHI 2022 said.
Updated on Oct 16, 2022 05:16 AM IST
India’s foodgrain stocks decline to 5-year low: FCI data
Rice stocks are sufficient to meet domestic requirements but wheat stocks have plunged to a 14-year low
Updated on Oct 14, 2022 11:42 AM IST
Centre considers steps to keep food inflation in check
India’s consumer inflation rate surged to a five-month high of 7.41% in September on an annual basis, compared to a 7% rise in the previous month, breaching the Reserve Bank of India’s target of 2-6% for the ninth straight month, data released on Wednesday showed.
Updated on Oct 14, 2022 10:49 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
Cabinet clears bill for reform in policies governing cooperatives
India has nearly 900,000 such cooperatives, the most in the world, which account for nearly 20% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Updated on Oct 13, 2022 04:51 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
