-The Hindustan Times By his own admission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "happiest" showing the door to laws that are of no use. Accordingly, his government has put in motion a plan to repeal as many as 987 obsolete laws. The law ministry will bring a new bill in the Winter session of Parliament to repeal 287 obsolete laws and junk about 700 Appropriation Acts that have lost...

-IANS Leh: For Tsetan Punchok, a 50-something farmer from the distant village of Partapur in Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, life was difficult in the 3,000-metre highlands where summer lasts barely four months and for long, he could only grow potatoes and turnips. His life, however, changed in the last few years when he came in touch with scientists of the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR). DIHAR, a laboratory of premier...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: After a tough summer due to sub-normal rains that led to deficit in Kharif sowing, the Centre on Wednesday asked states to focus on Rabi (Winter) crops so that the possible shortfall can be made up and proposed to provide finance to 5 lakh "joint farming groups" in the current financial year. Though sowing of Kharif crops showed a steady increase last week, it could not...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The monsoon that set in on India late this year is making a delayed retreat as well. Rains towards the fag end of the season are good for standing crops and will hold soil moisture for Winter crops, but may hurt crops which are ready for harvest, particularly paddy and cotton in some areas. According to the government's meteorology department officials, there are no signs of...

-The Hindustan Times Soon, motorists caught speeding, driving drunk or jumping red lights may not get away with a light fine and a few stern words from the traffic cop. The punishment would get harsher as the gravity of the offence increases - a Rs. 3-lakh fine and not less than seven years in jail for causing the death of a child; Rs. 5 lakh in penalty and three months in jail...