Articles by Zia Haq
Govt bars onion export
The steps come amid anticipated lower output of food items due to a patchy summer monsoon and drought in some states.

Published on Dec 09, 2023 04:35 PM IST
‘Monetary policy actively disinflationary’: RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 6.5%
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the central bank’s successive policy rate hikes, a reference to increases in interest rates, “seems to be working”

Procurement of rice by FCI fell in the last three years: Govt
Procurement of kharif or summer-sown rice by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has declined steadily over the past three years, data cited in a Parliament reply on Wednesday showed.

Updated on Dec 07, 2023 07:16 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
Indian banks have been resilient despite global turmoil: Sitharaman
Indian banks remain healthy, strong and resilient despite a global turmoil, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Updated on Dec 06, 2023 02:07 AM IST
Hat-trick points to a hat-trick in 2024, says Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the Bharatiya Janata Party's victories in three heartland states as an endorsement of his policies and a sign of a hat-trick win in the 2024 general elections. Modi highlighted the support of women, youth, farmers, and the poor, and warned the opposition against negativity. The BJP won three out of four state elections held in November, with Congress winning in Telangana. Modi also accused the Congress of attempting to divide the country on the basis of caste. He promised to fulfill the promises made to women and mothers.

Updated on Dec 04, 2023 06:58 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
Tap export markets, create economic zones for co-ops, says expert panel
Some of the recommendations, such as priority for export-oriented cooperatives, are already under implementation

Updated on Nov 25, 2023 07:02 AM IST
India vulnerable to food-price shocks, warns RBI Governor
India’s retail inflation eased to a three-month low of 5.02% in September on the back of softer vegetable prices, higher than the target of 4%

Fund for Centre’s anti-inflation intervention in need of ₹5.5k-cr
The consumer affairs ministry in India urgently needs ₹5500 crore ($800 million) for a fund that helps control food prices and maintain emergency reserves of key commodities. The ministry is exploring ways to meet the cash demand, including borrowings and advances. The fund, set up by the Modi government, allows the government to release items such as onions and pulses during shortages and price spirals. The current budget allocation for the fund is just ₹100,000, and the ministry is relying on a revolving fund of ₹250 crore, which is insufficient to meet its operations.

Updated on Nov 12, 2023 05:12 AM IST
By next week, refund airfares for bookings during lockdown: Govt to travel aggregators
The Indian government has instructed online travel platforms to process all pending fare refunds from the pandemic lockdown period by next week. The government has set a deadline for travel aggregators to return fares to customers who booked tickets during the lockdown period, and follow-up actions will be taken to ensure compliance. The Central Consumer Protection Authority has issued notices to several online travel platforms and travel agencies, and an investigation is ongoing into non-compliance and irregularities. Additionally, the government is cracking down on "dark patterns" on travel websites, which are design tactics intended to deceive consumers.

Updated on Nov 09, 2023 06:04 AM IST
Centre rolls out subsidised ‘Bharat Atta’ at ₹27.50/kg ahead of Diwali
Under the scheme, flour will be sold at a cut price of ₹27.50 per kilo, compared to the market price of ₹32-34 per kg.

Updated on Nov 07, 2023 05:01 AM IST
Union govt starts selling onions at reduced rates as prices soar
Lower supplies due to delayed harvests of the summer crop have driven prices of the commonly consumed vegetable for a second time in the past six months

Updated on Nov 02, 2023 04:51 AM IST
Supply shock triggered by uneven monsoon spurs onion price surge
A fresh supply shock triggered by a deficient monsoon has led to a surge in onion prices, which have more than doubled within a fortnight in several states, as the Union government began releasing stocks from its reserves to cool rates amid high festive season demand

Updated on Oct 31, 2023 07:56 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
Climate crisis spurs olive oil price surge
Droughts, heatwaves and wildfires linked to climate change in key producer countries have nearly halved the world’s harvests of olives for second straight year.

Updated on Oct 30, 2023 06:58 AM IST
Climate crisis goes for olive oil, prices surge
In a forecast in May, global price-setter Spain, the source of half the world’s olive oil supply, said production is expected to fall nearly 48% over last year

Updated on Oct 29, 2023 03:35 PM IST
Centre curbs onion export as prices double
A minimum export price (MEP) of $800 per tonne on a freight-on-board basis will be applicable on onion effective October 29 and remain in force until December 31

Published on Oct 28, 2023 09:42 PM IST
India’s summer-sown rice output expected to be 106.3 million tonnes in 2023-24
India is also estimated to produce 21.5 million tonnes of oilseeds, 434.8 million tonnes of sugarcane, 31.7 million bales of cotton (of 170 kg each) and 22.5 million tonnes of maize for the year 2023-24

Updated on Oct 28, 2023 10:30 AM IST
Centre to launch software to detect dark patterns used by firms on web
Consumer affairs ministry collaborates with IIT-Benaras Hindu University for open-source software

Updated on Oct 27, 2023 04:47 AM IST
Late refunds to paid seats: Airlines summoned over spike in complaints
According to data, around 10,000 complaints were made against airlines for a variety of reasons, including no refunds after travel bookings cancellation

Updated on Oct 27, 2023 05:36 AM IST
Govt clears ₹22,300cr rabi fertiliser subsidy
Cabinet approves ₹22,303 crore subsidy for fertilisers to keep prices steady during winter-sown season

Updated on Oct 26, 2023 01:31 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
Union cabinet approves ₹22,300 crore rabi fertiliser subsidy: Anurag Thakur
The Union budget in February this year allocated ₹1.75 lakh crore for fertiliser subsidies for 2023-24

Published on Oct 25, 2023 04:51 PM IST
Government decides to cut export floor price for basmati rice
The government, which imposed a floor price of $1200 a tonne for overseas shipments in August to cool domestic prices, has approved a decision to reduce it to $950 a tonne in a meeting on Monday

Published on Oct 24, 2023 03:14 PM IST
Govt overestimated annual wheat output for FY23: Data
The fourth & final round of estimates of crop output for 2022-23, released by the agriculture ministry, showed foodgrain production was at a record high.

Updated on Oct 22, 2023 10:45 PM IST
Inflation likely to stay stable during festive season, curbs to remain: Food secretary
Food inflation is likely to remain stable during the ongoing festive season and the government will not relax a series of curbs on food commodities, Union food secretary Sanjeev Chopra said

Updated on Oct 20, 2023 07:48 AM IST
Foodgrain output at record high: Centre
Rice output during 2022-23 was estimated to be a record 135.7 million tonnes, up 4.6% from the previous year’s 129 million tonne.

Updated on Oct 19, 2023 07:30 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi
Cabinet hikes MSPs of six rabi crops
Among the six crops, lentil (masur) prices were raised the most by ₹425 to ₹6,425 a quintal from ₹6,000 a quintal in the previous season in keeping with the government’s goal of reducing the dependence on imports for pulses

Updated on Oct 19, 2023 05:14 AM IST
India extends curbs on sugar export
The restrictions on shipments abroad are aimed at boosting domestic availability during 2023-24 and keeping prices stable during the ongoing festive season, when demand typically soars

Govt likely to sweeten deal in national pension scheme
NPS allows pensioners to withdraw 60% of the corpus at time of retirement (tax free), and buy an annuity for remaining 40%, payments from which are taxable.

Updated on Oct 18, 2023 04:51 AM IST
India extends curbs on basmati export, traders unhappy
India will continue to apply a minimum export price of $1,200 per tonne on basmati price to curb overseas shipments, according to a notification on Sunday

Updated on Oct 17, 2023 07:20 AM IST
Retail inflation slows to a three-month low of 5.02%
Food and beverage inflation rose 6.3% in September, the slowest pace in a quarter, compared to a rise of 9.19% in August

Increase in farm insurance enrolments for two years in row
The PMFBY is the country’s main subsidized crop insurance scheme, where farmers pay between 1.5% and 2% of the premium, depending on crop cycles

Updated on Oct 11, 2023 06:46 AM IST
Zia Haq, New Delhi