Untimely rains in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh last week have set the alarm bells ringing for the UPA government at the Centre. Saddled already with a sharp rise in prices of food and other commodities, the rains now threaten to play havoc with the country's wheat stocks. While the impact may be less on wheat sown late, the quality of the crop ready for harvesting will certainly be affected, admit officials. Worse, hailstorm in addition to rains can damage the crop more, like it has done in parts of Kanpur, Etawah, Hathras and Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. The Union Ministry of Agriculture has asked the States to send in their impact assessment reports to comprehend the extent of damage suffered so far. As it is, the advanced estimates of the Government in February last had suggested that normal production of wheat was set to fall by nearly one billion tones (MT) below last year's production. It can ill afford another setback.

While the rain god appears to have taken a break, reports reaching the Centre till Tuesday last suggest that the damage to the wheat crop was fortunately "localised" and would not impact targeted overall wheat production. In UP, the agriculture scientists have estimated that the loss varied between five and eight per cent. In Haryana, standing crop in about one lakh hectares had been damaged, according to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The CM has asked the Union Food Minister Sharad Pawar to link the Minimum Support Price (MSP) with the price index or evolve a formula to fix the MSP and review norms of natural calamities relief fund in the larger interest of the farming community. While Pawar has agreed to give a thought to the suggestion, right now wheat production and the impact of un-seasonal rains is of immediate concern. If need be, the Government would consider import of foodgrains.

Army stays put in J&K

The Army is staying put in Jammu and Kashmir for at least the next five years, but with some good news for the common man. Clear indications to this effect came on Friday last, when the Centre decided to pay huge rentals to owners of land and orchards occupied by the Army in the troubled State. At the same time, after dithering for a full year, the UPA Government has made known to its coalition partner in the State, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and separatists that the security situation did not call for a withdrawal of troops as demanded. The hike in rentals is to the tune of: Rs 10,000 per kanal (about 1/8th of an acre) instead of Rs 1,575 for fruit-bearing orchards, Rs 3, 381 instead of Rs 1,1,25 per kanal for irrigated land, Rs 16,875 instead of Rs 3,357 for land falling under municipal councils etc. The Centre is confident that this "realistic payment" to people will to some extent defuse anger and that a possible "relocation and reconfiguration" of the forces would ease civilians lives. How right is the strategy will be known after six months: Assembly elections are due this November.

Star Wars on hold!