New Delhi: The government has increased the wheat procurement target to 34.5 million tonnes (MT), about 15% more than the target set for the current Rabi marketing season. This comes amid indications that more farmers may choose to sell their produce to the government at MSP as mandi prices are lower.Recently, the governments of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar sought to increase wheat procurement from the Centre. While the government usually revises the targets near the end of the procurement period, this year the decision was taken early. The government on Friday urged flour mills to buy wheat directly from the market instead of relying on Food Corporation of India (FCI) sales.The government has so far purchased 16.4 metric tonnes of wheat in the current procurement season.The all-India average mandi price of wheat on April 22 was Rs 2,572, against the MSP of Rs 2,585 per quintal. The average farmgate price in UP was Rs 2,439 per quintal and in MP it was Rs 2,416.At the release of the “Annual Wheat Survey Report 2026” prepared by the Roller Flour Millers Federation of India, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said that on the request of the state governments, in MP (7.8 MT to 10 MT), UP (1 MT to 2.5 MT), Rajasthan (2.1 MT to 2.3 MT), Bihar (18,000 MT to 1,80,000 MT) and Procurement targets have been increased. Uttarakhand (1,000 tonnes to 50,000 tonnes). The government has relaxed procurement norms for four states except Uttarakhand, where crop was damaged due to adverse weather.Chopra said he estimates wheat production to be between 110-120 metric tonnes after losses due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm in major producing states. The Flour Millers Federation has estimated wheat production at 110 metric tonnes.The agriculture ministry had earlier estimated production at 120.2 metric tonnes before adverse weather conditions.The annual survey report said there was moderate to high impact on wheat crop in nine states – Punjab, West Bengal, UP, Haryana, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra – due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm between February and April.

Lucknow: The state government has suspended all district and division-level meetings requiring the presence of MLAs and MLCs across the state to ensure maximum attendance of MLAs during the special session of the UP Assembly on April 30.The one-day session of the Assembly – the second of the 2026-27 financial year – has been called to discuss the recently defeated 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, which sought to extend women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies from 2029.The Parliamentary Affairs Department, in a communique sent to all DMs and divisional commissioners, reiterated the 1998 government order directing officials not to organize district or divisional level meetings requiring the presence of MLAs during the ongoing session of the Assembly or Parliament.The release said that if unavoidable, the meeting can be called when there has been no meeting of Parliament or Assembly for three consecutive days.Sources said that the government order has been issued ensuring full presence of all the MLAs and Legislative Councilors. BJP The aim is to effectively centralize the message around the politically charged national issue of the Women’s Reservation Bill.BJP sources said the party sought full attendance of its MLAs to show solidarity. It is not surprising that the state government invoked a long-standing rule to avoid legislators’ distraction or conflicting local commitments. This prevents MLAs from getting caught up in constituency-level pressures and being absent or distracted from any serious debate.“Effectively, this is more about optics than governance,” said a BJP MLA. The debate over the Women’s Reservation Bill has largely created a narrative battle between the BJP and the opposition. Samajwadi Party and his colleague, Congress. This discussion is becoming quite relevant in the backdrop of high-risk UP assembly elections to be held early next year.Analysts said that even though it was a state assembly session, the issue clearly had national implications, especially in UP, where women voters are increasingly becoming decisive.This session is equally important for the opposition, which may raise questions as to why and how the bill was defeated. Sources said the SP and Congress planned to take on the ruling BJP symbolically rather than substantively on women’s issues.

Berhampur: A massive fire broke out inside Chilka, Asia’s largest salt water lake under the Tangi range, on Thursday night.Although the exact cause of the fire is not known, wildlife officials suspect that the accident was man-made. “Some mischievous elements might have set fire to the Nala grass inside the lagoon, which has dried up in the summer. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Chilka, Amlan Nayak said, we will investigate the matter to identify the culprit and arrest the miscreants.The fire, which started in patches of drain grass inside the lagoon – which is home to many residential and migratory birds and fishing cats – spread quickly due to high-speed winds. Forest personnel from different ranges of Chilka Wildlife Division reached the spot to extinguish the fire. However, they faced difficulty in approaching the fire in the mud as the water level in the lake had dropped significantly due to the scorching sun.Despite difficulties, forest personnel brought the fire under control by spraying water from the lagoon through pipes, said Amlan Nayak, divisional forest officer (DFO), Chilka.Boatmen generally set fire to the Nala grass to keep their boats sailing smoothly, a forest official said. “Earlier, we had conducted an awareness campaign among the people of the area not to burn drain grass in summer,” said Chitrasen Jena, Tangi wildlife range officer.Residential birds usually nest in the bushes of Nala grass.The DFO said that fishing cats, elusive animals, as well as birds might have migrated to other places after seeing the fire.

A 75-year-old American millionaire, known for hunting wild animals across continents, has died after a sudden encounter with a herd of elephants in Central Africa. Ernie Dosio, an experienced trophy hunter and vineyard owner from California, was on an expedition in Gabon when the incident occurred. While tracking a rare antelope in a dense forest, he and his professional guide unexpectedly come across a group of elephants. Within seconds, the situation turned fatal as the animals attacked, crushing Dosio and seriously injuring his guide.

How five elephants attacked a 75-year-old trophy hunter

The attack reportedly occurred in dense rainforest near Lop-Okanda National Park, where visibility is low and wildlife can appear without warning. Dosio and his guide were tracking the elusive yellow-backed duiker, a rare forest antelope, when they inadvertently walked into a herd of five forest elephants. Hidden by dense vegetation, the animals were not seen until it was too late.According to people familiar with the incident, the elephant, which was a female with a calf, reacted immediately and attacked as soon as it felt threatened.The professional hunter accompanying Dosio was attacked first, thrown aside and injured during the initial attack. In the confusion, he lost his rifle in the bushes, leaving Dosio with only one shotgun.The elephants then attacked Dosio and crushed him under their combined weight. The attack was believed to have been extremely swift, with little chance of survival once the herd got close.

Why can elephants become deadly?

The African forest elephant is one of the most powerful land animals on Earth, capable of weighing several tons and moving at astonishing speeds. Although often described as peaceful creatures, these animals can become highly aggressive when they feel threatened, especially when calves are present.Gabon is home to about 60 percent of the world’s remaining forest elephants, making encounters in its dense forests more likely. Experts estimate that elephants kill 300 to 500 people globally each year, usually in sudden, defensive attacks.

The experienced hunter kept an extensive collection of animal trophies in his California home.

a lifetime of hunting

Dosio had spent decades traveling around the world hunting for big game, amassing an extensive collection of trophies that included species of lion, elephant, buffalo and deer. He was widely known in hunting circles in both the United States and Africa and was considered an experienced outdoorsman.At the time of his death, he was reportedly attempting to add the yellow-backed duiker, a challenging and sought-after species among hunters, to his collection.Friends and associates described him as a larger-than-life personality who was also deeply involved in charitable work, regularly supporting veterans and disadvantaged groups.Safari operator Collect Africa confirmed that a client died after encountering an elephant during a hunt, while the injured guide survived.

Laughter Chefs Season 3’s wife Sunita Ahuja continues to be in the headlines. GovindaWent to the set for a special episode. The shoot also marked his reunion with his nephew Krishna Abhishek And Kashmira Shah. Their reunion scenes have gone viral on social media, with viewers eagerly waiting for the episode to air. Recently, the makers shared a new promo on their official Instagram account, in which Krushna Abhishek and Kashmira Shah are seen getting emotional as they enter.In the video, the gate of Laughter Chefs opens and Sunita calls Krishna’s name. The popular comedian is stunned to see Sunita in front of him. This moment becomes quite emotional as ‘Kitni Baatein Yaad Aati Hai’ plays in the background.Seeing Sunita Ahuja, Krishna cries and says, “It will be 14 years, I have got parking at your feet…” He falls at her feet crying. Sunita Ahuja also gets emotional.Then he stands near Kashmira and says, “Today the vehicles need parking, Sunita Mami.” He indirectly urges him to forgive Kashmira. As soon as the camera turns towards her, Kashmira also becomes emotional and says, ‘I am so sorry.’Recently, while talking to photographers, Krishna had shared that Kashmera and he were not aware of Sunita Ahuja’s presence in the show and it was a big surprise for them. Krishna, Sunita and Kashmira posed for the photographers.Krishna said, “What a surprise dad is getting after 14 years. We have done many episodes of Laughter Chefs. We always say it is a family show, but today, thanks to the creative team, our aunt came – it was a big surprise. None of us knew that she would come, and we are really grateful that she agreed to come. She has come to the show today. There has been a lot of talk about it in the media. There has been gossip for years, but today, by coming together, we have ended it all.“Let us tell you that the problems allegedly started between 2016 and 2018 due to misunderstandings and comments made by Kashmira Shah on social media. Over the years, the families lived apart and maintained a respectful distance. Sunita has often expressed her anger in her previous interviews, but now she has decided to forget the differences and forgive Krishna-Kashmira.