-The Financial Express New Delhi: The states have not been lifting the entire volume of foodgrains allocated by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for the various social sector schemes including National Food Security Act (NFSA), mid-day meal and other welfare schemes for the past many years due to inadequate storage facilities. According to official data, in FY16, only 84% of wheat and 94% of rice allocated to states for distribution for...

-Down to Earth Over 20 years of aerial spraying on cashew plantations in Kerala and other states has left many with mental and physical disorders The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, directed the Kerala government to pay Rs 500 crores in three months as compensation to over 5,000 victims of the use of Endosulfan pesticide. People, especially newborns, have suffered deformaties, health complications and loss of family members due to exposure to...

-The Hindu Business Line Bengaluru: Farmers in Karnataka, like their counterparts in other states who have been impacted by the drop in prices and cash shortage triggered by demonetisation, have another problem to contend with — crop loss on account of the failure of rains. It has been a kind of a triple whammy for farmers in the region. Besides being forced to reap a lower kharif output on account of a...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Investigations by the income tax department have found that a large number of cooperative banks have been manipulating and laundering unaccounted money post demonetisation of high denomination currency notes of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 on November 8. As the department's findings suggest a general absence of requisite regulatory oversight over cooperative banks across the country, the government feels the need for a strong regulatory framework. An...

-The Telegraph Darjeeling: The delay in snowfall in the upper reaches of Sikkim and Darjeeling by over a month may be a damper to snow-chasing tourists and local people, but may reflect either changing weather patterns or special circumstances this year, scientists say. Sikkim has experienced the highest increase in annual average minimum temperature across India's states, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has documented - a finding that has puzzled sections of...