Wary Congress uses Arun Nehru daughter, ex-Leftists in Amethi-Rae Bareli

Congress is getting its act together following reports that the BJP and the Sangh are working hard to dislodge Rahul Gandhi from Amethi

Business Standard

New Rs 2,000 note issued after the central government announced its demonetisation policy on November 8

Looms fall silent and cobblers are on the streetstwo weeks  after demonetisation of Rs 500and Rs 1000 currency notes. With no capital, shortage of raw material andnon-payment of wages has left over one crore weavers and cobblers in UttarPradesh jobless these days. The situation has become this worse that UP CM AkhileshYadav has to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to increase the withdrawallimit for leather traders in order to ensure payment of wages to shoe makers ofAgra. The weavers of handloom belt of UP, Mau, Mubaraqpur and Varanasi are atthe doorsteps of money lenders to meet their daily needs.The chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in a letter sentto PM has requested that leather traders in Agra be given facility of excess withdrawalfrom banks to make payment of wages and purchase of raw material. In Agra alonedemonetisation has cast its effect on some 55000 cobblers. The situation isworse in Varanasi and adjoining districts where weavers are busy in learningsocio political econom

Demonetisation shuts down Uttar Pradesh's weavers and cobblers

Labourers sorts mangoes at a wholsale mango market in Nagpur   PTI

Mango

Production of dasheri mango estimated to cross 50 lakh tones this year

Record production of Dasheri mango in UP this year

Ban imposed on Alphonso by Europe may have irked union government but in the mango belt of Uttar Pradesh the growers have been seeing it as a good chance to expand overseas market.Despite being the largest mango producer in the country UP lack on the export front. Compared to Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, UP lags far behind in the export of mango. This season the mango growers are expecting more orders from overseas market. The enquiries pouring in from exporters of Delhi and Mumbai has further enthused mango growers in the Malihabad region, famous for production of  Dussehri in the world. Till now UP exports mango to gulf countries and few europian countries. Last year despite having more than 40 lakh tones of production UP had exported barely 12000 tones of mango and a majority of it to gulf countries.According to the office-bearer of All India Mango Growers Association Siraj Mehndi, after ban on Alphonso, the exporters are in touch with the mango growers of UP. Despite po

Mango exports: Alphonso's loss could be Dussehri's gain

Erratic climate damages crop, could lead to 40% drop in yield from major growing regions

Mango growers stare at a bitter harvest

Earlier, a private agency had conducted a remote survey of the potato crop in UP and estimated 13.7 million tonnes of production

20% of UPs potato crop damaged due to rains

This has forced small and marginal farmers to start distress sales of cane

Uttar Pradesh cane being rushed to jaggery units

Lucknow-based Sahara Group made a Rs 3,000 crore entry into retail sector last year under the brand Sahara Q Shop. Sahara planned to launch outlets in 998 towns and cities by March 2013, but consultants and its peers say the group's retail venture is moving at a very slow pace..  Romie Dutt, executive director, Sahara Q Shop, talks to Raghavendra Kamath and Siddharth Kalhans about the chain's operations and strategy.

We plan to end 2012-2013 with Rs 1,500-2,000 crore topline: Romie Dutt

Low temperature and rain in the first week of January cheered mango growers in the fruit belt of Malihabad in Uttar Pradesh.

Dussehri output may rise 70-80% in UP

Land parcels acquired for 58 new projects which are yet to be launched

Many Sahara realty projects stuck; experts pessimistic

Poor output and high demand has made hundreds of betel traders in Uttar Pradesh a hapless lot. In the past year, prices of betel leaves have increased fourfold. Short supply from Bangladesh is adding to their woes.

Siddharth Kalhans