Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said Assam’s renowned GI-tagged Tezpur litchi is reaching international markets. He said the first export shipment of Tezpur litchi departed for Dubai with the support of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, APEDA. 

In a social media post, Mr. Goyal stated that the initiative will give the region’s litchi global recognition, help farmers secure better prices, and create new opportunities for agricultural products from Northeast India.

The Union Home Minister paid tributes to Lord Birsa Munda on his death anniversary today. In a social media post, Mr Shah said, Lord Birsa Munda sounded the conch of freedom against British rule through the Ulgulan Movement. Calling him the immortal symbol of tribal pride, patriotism, and cultural consciousness, the Home Minister noted that Birsa Munda organised tribal society to protect their rights and heritage and gave the conservation of water, forests, and land the form of a people’s movement. He further underlined that even today, the struggles of Birsa Munda against religious conversion and his dedication to tribal glory remain an inspiration for millions of countrymen.

Government today said that Indian households continue to receive cooking gas at among the lowest prices globally despite a sharp rise in international LPG prices. In a statement, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry said that the Indian cylinder is cheaper than in any neighbouring country and far below the price in advanced economies such as the United States, Australia and Canada. It noted that a beneficiary of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) pays 642 rupees for a 14.2-kg LPG cylinder after receiving a direct benefit transfer of 300 rupees on the first four refills annually, while the retail price for a general consumer in Delhi stands at 942 rupees.

The Ministry clarified that the price increased after the Saudi CP benchmark for LPG rose by about 46 per cent between February and June this year as the Hormuz disruption tightened Gulf supply, taking the cost of supplying a 14.2 kg cylinder to over 1,600 rupees. It underlined that the government has absorbed a substantial part of the increase to shield consumers from the impact of volatile global energy markets.

The Ministry highlighted that the effective price paid by Ujjwala beneficiaries remains lower than cooking gas prices in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Highlighting energy security measures during the West Asia crisis, the government said India was among the few countries that managed to keep its energy cargoes moving through the Strait of Hormuz despite severe disruptions in maritime traffic. It said there has been no shortage of petroleum products in the country, and LPG bottling and distribution operations have continued normally.

The ministry further added that domestic LPG production was increased by more than 60 per cent during the disruption period, while supplies were also sourced from countries including the United States, Canada and Algeria to ensure uninterrupted availability.

According to the department, the Valley of Flowers is currently home to more than 300 species of flowers and several rare varieties of flora. Forest Range Officer Chetna Kandpal said that the valley will remain open to visitors until October 31.

It is noteworthy that the Valley of Flowers is situated in a region with challenging geographical conditions. Keeping weather conditions and safety standards in mind, necessary guidelines are being issued to tourists to ensure that their visit remains safe and enjoyable.

The weather agency also forecast heat wave conditions in isolated pockets over Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi during the next 5 days.

The met department predicted that these places may experience severe heatwave conditions during the next three days.

The IMD said that conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of southwest and southeast Arabian Sea, Comorin Area, southwest, southeast and east central Bay of Bengal and remaining parts of Andaman Sea during the next 2-3 days.

The weather agency estimated heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Assam, Meghalaya, Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim today.

The IMD forecast heavy rainfall over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Mahe, Lakshadweep, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Tamil Nadu Puducherry and Karaikal during the day.