-PTI Only one out of 39 locations through which the Ganga flows had clean water in the post-monsoon period this year, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has said in its latest Study. As many as 37 of the 41 locations through which the river flows reported moderate to severe water pollution in the pre-monsoon period, according to the ‘Biological Water Quality Assessment of the River Ganga (2017-18)’ report that was recently...

-The Telegraph In the long term, the only real solution to rural distress is to shift labour to more productive segments of the economy It has turned into an open season for farm loan waivers. Less than a week after assuming office, Congress governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have announced the waiver of crop loans up to two lakh rupees per farmer. The Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, has thrown down...

-The Hindu Various steps need to be taken to strengthen social audits “A good auditor is a good listener” said President Ram Nath Kovind during his recent speech at the 29th Accountants General Conference. “You will not only see the accounts in their books, but also listen to their accounts,” he said. It is only when this conception is accepted that audits will return to their democratic roots, and social audits in...

-NDTV Of the 13,000 wells in Indian side of Punjab, 25 per cent of them had high levels of arsenic, the Study highlighted. New Delhi: The Indus Basin region covering areas of Indian as well as Pakistan side of Punjab has "serious" levels of arsenic in groundwater, along with traces of fluoride and nitrate, raising a major public-health concern, a new Study Tuesday said. Of the 13,000 wells in Indian side...

-Mongabay.com * Indian government enacted the Forest Rights Act in 2006 to correct the historic injustice done to tribal people and forest dwellers but the implementation of the landmark legislation has been far from satisfactory. * A recent Study reveals a large variation in the outcomes of claims submitted under the FRA Act across states. It found that states with more forest cover have higher claim distribution rates, while states with presence...