-BBC   It's early morning and local commuters are queuing up for tickets at the Kirti Nagar railway station in the Indian capital, Delhi. Along the tracks, another crowd is gathering - each person on his own, separated by a modest distance. They are among the 48% of Indians who do not have access to proper sanitation. Coming from a slum close-by, they squat among the few trees and bushes along the railway tracks...

-IANS   PATNA: The central government is Planning to turn India's eastern states into an organic farming-hub, Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said here on Monday. "Our priority is to develop Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal and eastern Uttar Pradesh into an organic farming hub for development of the region and to provide opportunity to millions of farmers to earn more," Singh told media persons. Singh, who hails from Bihar, said organic farming...

-The Hindu   On the first anniversary of the Uttarakhand disaster, here's a look at issues plaguing the fledgling state. On June 16, it will be a year since Uttarakhand experienced its worst natural disaster. It was also a year of loss, of grief, of recovery and of resilience. While those affected continue to cope and rise, we need to look beyond the disaster in order to unravel the contradictions and challenges that...

-The Business Standard   The meeting has been called to discuss the preparedness of the states to handle less rainfall or drought like situations  Mumbai: The Ministry of Agriculture has called an urgent meeting of 18 states in the wake of delayed rains next week and prepare state specific contingency plan for crops. According to official sources, the meeting has been called to discuss the preparedness of the states to handle less rainfall or drought...

-The Navhind Times   THAT climate will remain in a state of flux is a given. The fallout of global warming will be periodic extreme heat and drought, as was experienced by the United States and some other food-exporting countries in 2012, sending food prices close to record levels. At the same time, many countries, including China and India will experience heavy rains and floods from time to time, damaging food production. Even...