-The Hindu Activists seek halt to degradation of rivers Karur (Tamil Nadu): Environment activists here are seeking an immediate halt to the degradation due to sand mining in the rivers as mining continues in violation of norms stipulated by the Madras High Court. According to activists, three major violations are obvious. Loading contractors retained by the Public Works Department were breaching the rules governing number of excavators to be deployed in a quarry;...

-The Business Standard Open market price cools down as chief minister orders cold storages to empty stock by December 15 Kolkata: The first big task in hand at the new address is a success. Sitting in the plush office at the 14th floor of the newly-inaugurated secretariat, by default facing one of the infrastructure marvels created in the predecessor regime, the Vivekananda Setu, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has finally reined in the intractable...

-Live Mint In the past year, ration cards are being replaced with smartcards that can track food doled out through the PDS system New Delhi: Mohanlal Kapoor, a street vendor in north India, holds a card entitling him to subsidized food for his wife and four children. To get supplies, the Kapoors must battle an estimated 15 million families in their state toting similar pieces of paper that they're not entitled...

-The Economic Times KOLKATA/ GUWAHATI: Mamata Banerjee's decision to stop movement of potatoes from the state has made the tuber go beyond the reach of common people in states of Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and the entire north-east. Prices have touched the roof in most of these states with people in Assam buying a kilo of potatoes at Rs 45. Traders say that in the last two days, price of...

-PTI CHANDIGARH/PUNE: Arrivals of onion from Afghanistan have failed to bring down retail prices of onion in Punjab as it continued to remain high, with traders citing poor quality coupled with low arrivals. In the wake of skyrocketing prices of onion in India, Punjab traders have been importing onion from Afghanistan via Attari-Wagah land route. Daily 3-5 trucks laden with onion are crossing over to India, traders said. "There is not much onion...