-The Hindu To get youth interested in agriculture research, the Agriculture Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) must undertake a special drive, noted farm scientist M.S. Swaminathan said on Friday. He said there should be a special analysis of the gaps in regional-level research, particularly in northeastern and tribal areas "as was done in the past." Special recruitment drives should be undertaken by inducting young scientist graduates from such regions and "grooming them intensively." He suggested...

-The Hindu PALAKKAD: Death continues to stalk tribal infants at Attappady. Two more tribal infants died on Saturday of alleged malnutrition, taking the toll to 38 since January this year. The three-day-old child of Shantha and Subramaniyan of Chindakki primitive tribal hamlet in Pudur grama panchayat died on the way to the Coimbatore medical college. Shantha had delivered the child at the Mannarkad taluk hospital on October 28. The mother and child were...

-The Times of India RAIPUR: Call it the unapproachable interiors, fear from Maoist ambush or the inaccessibility that leads to the hilly terrains of the Maoist heartland, there is a section of people in the hills of Bailadila region in tribal Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, who have not exercised their vote for as long as 50 years. They are these 20,000 people, who, neither have voter identity cards nor has any electoral...

-The Times of India Latest census data on scheduled castes and tribes shows that the trend of STs having the best sex ratios, and SCs too doing better than the non-SC/ST population continues to hold good. The trend suggests that 'backwardness' may actually work in favour of gender justice, presumably by denying access to sex determination techniques. Detailed data on SCs and STs from the 2011 census, released on Monday, showed that...

-The Hindu Adilabad (Andhra Pradesh): Neither cinema nor television is a match for good old folk traditions when it comes to providing succour to distressed souls in rural confines. If it is the vigorous Kolatam in the plains, it is the rhythmic Dandari and the Ghussadi folk dances in tribal areas of Adilabad which are acting as escape valves for the emotionally charged farmers in the backdrop of the debilitating onslaught...