On February 7, Union minister for agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar informed the Rajya Sabha that almost 170,000 hectares of crop in Rajasthan and Gujarat had been damaged by locust swarms in the past few months, with about 80 per cent of the damage reported from Rajasthan. As much as 88 per cent of affected land saw crop loss of 33 per cent or more, with almost 135,000 hectares in Rajasthan sustaining severe damage.
Although this problem has been months in the making, its arrival in India seems to have caught officials unprepared. Locust swarms were first reported as migrating east from Yemen, Saudi Arabia and southwest Iran as early as January 2019, with early reports of their arrival in India in May. Nonetheless, the central and state governments spent the past two months passing the buck before settling on blaming Pakistan for not issuing warnings early enough. However, a bulletin published by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization on December 18 last year warned that swarms of adult locusts were expected to soon arrive in India from southwest Pakistan.
This story is from the February 24, 2020 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 24, 2020 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE GENERIC BREAKTHROUGH - Pharmacy to the World
India's pharmaceutical industry has evolved from dependency on foreign firms to global dominance. Driven by generics, biopharma breakthroughs and innovation, it has cemented the country's status as the planet's drug factory
THE SOFTWARE BOOM FROM BYTES TO BILLIONS
From a $100-million fledgling in 1991 to a $250-billion powerhouse today, India's IT industry capitalised on visionary policies, pioneering companies and the Y2K opportunity to become a global leader in outsourcing and innovation
ECONOMIC LIBERALISATION, 1991- BREAKING THE SHACKLES
In 1990, India faced economic collapse with dwindling forex reserves and mounting debt. The next year, the Narasimha Rao government, with Manmohan Singh as finance minister, launched transformative reforms, dismantling protectionism and reshaping the economy
THE MARUTI 800, 1983- The Aam Aadmi Car
The small car that made a big difference by democratising car ownership in the country and changing the face of India's automotive industry
RELIANCE INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING, 1977 - The Emperor of Equities
With his novel idea of raising funds from the public in the late '70s, Dhirubhai Ambani awoke the sleeping giant that was India's capital market, giving the ordinary investor a chance to own a small piece of big business and be part of an equity revolution
WEAVE A STORY
Saree plays muse and material in this modern iteration
SIMPLE LIVING
Spatial planning meets spirituality, and up-cyling meets unconventional design practices, in this Gurgaon home
HARMONY IN DESIGN
Using principles of vaastu coupled with a creative interplay of open and closed spaces, this home in Vadodara is a welcome sight
THE NEW ECO CHIC
This home in Kerala is designed on the principles of climate responsive architecture
Crafting a New Look
A look at five festive artistic finds from Jaipur to brighten your celebrations
