-The Hindu Government figures on suicides are higher than those reported by activist groups Nagpur: Anil Marope swallowed poison on July 17, leaving behind a distressed wife, a water-logged field and four children. Just a month before his death, the 40-year old from Vidarbha's Yavatmal district had sowed his 5-acre field and was hopeful of a good cotton harvest. But heavy rain washed away his crop, forcing him to sow seeds for the...

-The Hindu In a region of poor yields, a gritty woman farmer succeeds even in years of crop failure. But high costs are depleting Vidarbha's success stories "I am the farmer, he did no farming. He only moons over his cattle, he loves those cows (even if they yield just a litre of milk each). Men hang around the village, women are in the fields." Leelabai is speaking of one of Yavatmal's most...

-The Business Standard The latest suicide in Vidarbha underlines the need for flexible loan repayment norms for farmers Is it better to give compensation to dead farmers, or to provide loans and insurance to those who are alive? In the case of a majority of cotton farmers in Maharashtra, who are struggling against shrinking land size, production costs and debts, there is neither credit or insurance when alive nor compensation on death. Farmers caught...

-The Times of India Yavatmal: A 20-year-old youth attacked social worker and RTI activist Digambar Pajgade (52) with a sharp weapon on Tuesday morning and injured him. Passersby rushed Pajgade toGovernment Medical College, where he was admitted in the emergency ward. The attacker inflicted deep wounds on the head of Pajgade, a resident of local Jamankar Nagar. The attacker, Mayur Vadafale, a resident of village Wagapur, fled the spot after throwing the...

-The Indian Express Yavatmal: Works worth Rs 36 crore were completed in less than four months, supposedly a manual effort under the central employment scheme MNREGS, according to the Maharashtra's forest department. An inquiry ordered by the district collector has found it was made possible by a collusion between forest officials and contractors, who allegedly used machines. Works worth Rs 32 crore were done in only nine of 56 gram panchayats in...