-The Hindu Kalyanrao Jalji has cultivated carom seeds in drought-prone Chittapur taluk of Kalaburagi district Karnataka: When disturbing stories of agrarian crisis caused by drought were coming from across the State, Kalyanrao Jalji, a progressive farmer from Gotur village in drought-prone Chittapur taluk in Kalaburagi district, was making handsome profit. Cultivation of carom seeds (ajwain), a spice widely used in Indian kitchens for preparing delicacies as well as in pharmaceutical companies for...

-The Economic Times Members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance on Wednesday criticised Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel for his inability to answer queries related to demonetisation. "Patel was unable to tell us how much money has come back to the banks," said Saugata Roy, TMC MP. "The governor was unable to tell us that how much old currency has come into the banks," added Saugata Roy. Sources also quoted...

-Hindustan Times Hamirgarh/ Dhanaula/ Chandigarh: Gurpreet Singh and Sandeep Duggal have more than 350 friends on Facebook. At 19, Gurpreet’s profile clearly gravitates to pictures of youth – astride an Enfield motorcycle, one with a friend in the corridors of a college, and the quintessential selfie with sunglasses. Duggal’s is more subdued. In a black-and-white profile photograph, he smiles with arms folded, exuding the confidence of a young man who identifies himself...

-The Hindu Business Line CM writes to Modi, submits memorandum Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has urged the Centre to sanction ?39,565 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund, and to release immediately Rs. 1,000 crore ‘on account’ to take up drought mitigation work in the state. The state was hit by heavy floods in December 2015 and by Cyclone Vardah in December 2016. The State Disaster Response Fund is not sufficient to...

-Hindustan Times The government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are set to bring out tougher norms for cooperative banks, which have come under scanner for alleged discrepancies and irregularities in the wake of the demonetisation drive. According to a recent report by the income tax department, most banks have indulged in money laundering after the Narendra Modi government announced ban on high-value bank notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 from...