Universities should not have to bow to research institutes, writes Debashis Gangopadhyay. Basic Sciences versus Applied Sciences Undermining humanities studies in schools will lead to a large number of science graduates in the market. This is a boon for multinational companies as profits will escalate — the cost of labour being lower. However, the danger to profits persist from another aspect. Students who study science out of their love for a subject are...

-The Hindustan Times   The rain gods may have brought some cheer to everyone after a scorching summer, but a sense of gloom about the Indian economy appears to be building. A study by US-based Pew Research Centre has found that while just a year ago, 51% people were satisfied with the way things were in the country (and 47% dissatisfied), today, the proportions have reversed — 59% are dissatisfied and only...

-The Economic Times The government plans to intervene in the use of water by industries and encourage conservation of the increasingly scarce resource by setting up a 'bureau of water-use efficiency' to grade various sectors and issue guidelines, official sources said.  "We'll start with the industries and analyse whether they are water friendly or not," said a senior official at the ministry of water resources.  For this, the ministry has roped in industrial...

-The Telegraph Shillong: Two teams of National Disaster Response Force personnel were rushed to Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills district today to help rescue possible survivors among the 15 labourers trapped inside a coal mine since last week. The Guwahati-based personnel reached Nengkol in the Rongsa Awe area of Nangalbibra region — from where it is 10km to the coal mines — late this evening. Baghmara, the district headquarters, is around 480km from...

-The Times of India Rice isn't the diet villain as commonly thought. In fact, two types of rice commonly consumed by India's middle classes have now been found to have the lowest Glycemic Index (GI) — the measure of its ability to raise blood sugar levels after eating -- when compared with 233 other types of rice consumed around the world. Swarna and Mahsuri's GI levels were below 55. Another favourite among...