Situation alarming: More than one-third population hit by drought   The country is facing severe drought for the second consecutive year. Conservative estimates from official sources show that over a quarter of rural habitations are facing drinking water scarcity. Although both India Meteorological Department and Skymet have predicted a more than normal rainfall during June-September, 2016, the water storage available in 91 major reservoirs of the country has declined from 22 percent...

-The Hindu Business Line Hyderabad: In another push to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project — Swachh Bharat Mission — the Centre wants to reduce plastic waste by curtailing the use of bottled water at official meetings. The move aims to avoid the use of harmful plastics and promote safe drinking water. Does this mean the ubiquitous water bottles will soon disappear from high-profile meetings and workshops? Yes, if one goes by an...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The government has decided to make it a must for all public buses owned by state transport corporations to have emergency panic buttons, surveillance cameras and vehicle-tracking devices to ensure the safety of women passengers. A formal notification on the rules will be issued after June 2, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said in the capital today. The minister made the announcement while launching a PILot...

-The Financial Express In a bid to curb PILferage of foodgrains in the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), the Centre on Saturday asked the states to opt for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under which the subsidy component is credited to bank accounts and allows the beneficiaries to buy foodgrains from the market. However, for implementing DBT, the states must complete digitisation of beneficiary list and seed bank account details for fund transfer....

-CivilSocietyOnline.com Day one of India’s first professional dog count began in Delhi’s Paharganj neighbourhood on Thursday, 12th May when researchers set out with North Delhi Municipal Corporation staff to identify stray dogs and photograph them. Civil Society went along to see how this census would be more humane and effective than previous efforts to get stray dogs off the streets. Mr. Rishi Dev, archirect and urban planner and the man behind this innovative...