-PTI New Delhi: Social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and others are rapidly changing the reading and viewing habits of an increasing number of people, mostly youngsters, according to Assocham. Based on an analysis of responses from just 235 families, the industry body claimed that Indians residing in big Cities are now spending less than half the time reading newspapers and watching television as compared to 3-4 years ago. “While it is...

-Scroll.in As the Centre looks to modify the rules on cattle trade, it would do well to consult experts about how the changes would affect farmers. With the government’s assurance to the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it would suspend implementation of new regulations on cattle trade, the nation’s cows, bullocks, bulls and buffaloes are back on the front page. The new rules, notified in May, had been greeted by vociferous...

-The Hindu Fund-starved civic body mulls move Chennai: Owing to a severe fund crunch, the Chennai Corporation is now exploring the possibility of reducing the number of Amma canteens in the city. The civic body, which is unable to settle bills of contractors for completed infrastructure projects worth ?700 crore, is likely to reduce the number of canteens from 407 to 200. However, the decision to close many of these canteens has been...

-The Indian Express “It doesn’t feel good to be forced to use the lift which residents don’t use. What is it about us that makes them not want to see us? But then, that is just the cost of doing the work we do and not being able to afford flats like these,” said Mohammad Shaafi, who works there. Noida/ Gurgaon: From separate elevators to different exits — domestic helps working in...

-The Hindu Leading hydrogeology scientist explains how India’s dependence on groundwater could lead to a crisis if left unchecked Mumbai: Groundwater is the world’s most extracted raw material, supplying and sustaining a range of human activity. Yet, because it is invisible and it’s supply often taken for granted, it is often inadequately acknowledged in policy and debates about the preservation of groundwater commons and aquifers. At best, it is usually shrouded in...