Southwest monsoon withdraws from India, northeast monsoon has commenced: IMD
New Delhi: The southwest monsoon withdrew from the entire country on Thursday, October 16, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Simultaneously, the northeast monsoon has commenced over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, south interior Karnataka, and Kerala-Mahe.
This year, the monsoon reached Kerala on May 24, its earliest onset over the Indian mainland since 2009, when it arrived on May 23. Over the four-month season that ended on September 30, India recorded 937.2 mm of rainfall, 8% above the normal of 868.6 mm.
However, the distribution was uneven across regions. Eastern and northeastern India recorded a 20% deficit with 1,089.9 mm of rainfall, while central India received 1,125.3 mm — 15.1% above normal. The southern peninsula saw a surplus of 9.9% over its average of 716.2 mm.
The IMD attributed the surplus rainfall to active monsoon conditions aided by frequent western disturbances that boosted precipitation in several regions.
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Women's quota bill would have ensured defeat of democracy, Constitution: Aaditya Thackeray
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday said that the passage of the women's quota bill would have ensured a "total defeat of democracy", alleging that the legislation, linked with a delimitation exercise, was a political tool designed to reduce the voice of states.
Thackeray, in a post on X, claimed that the Bill would have amended the Constitution for the political means of the ruling regime to increase seats, reduce the voice of many states and enable the gerrymandering of constituencies to ensure unfair victories.
"The very amendment that would have ensured the total defeat of democracy and the Constitution in India stands rejected by the unity of the Opposition MPs," he wrote.
The legislation should have been called "Delimitation to ensure unfair victory Bill", the former minister said, adding that there was a genuine need to enable 33 per cent reservation for women in the current number of seats.
"Now, it is up to the government to ensure that it is implemented in the 543 seats of the Lok Sabha for the 2029 elections and all elections across India, if that is the real intent of the government," he wrote.
A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated on Friday in the Lower House.
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
