-Deccan Herald Water, the sustainer of all forms of life on this planet, is too precious to be dispensed with. Water is wealth; nay water is life itself. It is the one commodity, barring air, which cannot be dispensed with. It is the sustainer of all forms of life on this planet --plant, animal and human. The demands on this precious but limited natural resource are ever increasing. A person will appreciate...

-The Times of India   One month after the horrific Badaun gang rape exposed how gravely at risk women and minors lacking domestic toilets are, India's sanitation scenario remains dire. Social worker and Padma Bhushan awardee ​Bindeshwar Pathak is founder of Sulabh Sanitation Movement, an organisation that helps build low-cost toilets across the country. Speaking with Fozia Yasin, Pathak discussed the socio-economic costs of lacking proper sanitation, practical ways to correct this...

-The Hindu   Chennai: In a fresh bid to widen access to low-cost quality food, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has ordered opening of 360 more "Amma Unavagams," the popular eateries, across Tamil Nadu. Among them 200 eateries would be set up in the Chennai Corporation limits. With this, the State would soon have 654 such canteens serving quality food at affordable rates. In expanding this welfare scheme which benefits the poor, daily wage earners,...

-The Hindu Business Line The risk of water availability is a painful reality in south Asian agriculture including India. Any deviation from the monsoon causes problems for the farm community and poses threat to food security in the region. The variability in precipitation in India has actually increased in recent years. While comparing the variability of precipitation (given by standard deviation) between two phases, 1950-75 and 1976-2010, in two geographically dispersed districts...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Major initiatives of the 49-day Kejriwal government may not get quietly buried under President's rule. Lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung has directed the chief secretary and departmental heads to honour and follow decisions taken by the former Aam Aadmi Party government. So, the anti-bribery helpline launched to combat corruption will remain a priority, said sources. The free water and power subsidy schemes will continue. The public grievances...