-The Telegraph New Delhi: A network of 293 ground motion sensors located across northern, eastern and northeastern India lay crippled during Nepal's 7.9 magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks, handicapping researchers trying to assess how the quakes affected cities and towns in these regions. No one knows how many of the 293 sensors designed to measure ground acceleration during earthquakes were actually recording data during the weekend earthquakes because funding for maintenance of...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The government has floated a draft proposal to create a national database for people with disabilities. The proposal seeks to link the unique disability identification card - a smart card for all people with disabilities - to a central database to "ensure homogeneity and uniformity and streamlining the tracking of physical and financial progress of benefit delivery at all levels". The ministry had in October last year floated the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In yet another bid to check air pollution in Delhi and the rest of the NCR, National Green Tribunal on Tuesday banned burning of waste in the open. It also announced a fine of Rs 5,000 on anyone who is caught burning dry leaves, plastic, rubber or any other waste material in NCR. NGT said deputy commissioners, director of horticulture, area SHOs, assistant commissioners and sanitary...

-Hindustan Times They are called cafeteria sessions. At lunch time, Greenpeace fund-raisers wander among hundreds, sometimes thousands, of young men and women packing the cafeterias of Indian companies. It’s not a good idea to name these companies. Greenpeace’s activities include forest preservation, renewable-energy promotion and fighting on behalf of local communities. These appear to be popular causes among young professionals. Donations of Rs 300 to Rs 500 constitute about 80% of...

-Business Standard Even as country stares at a possible drought, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has hit a new low At a time when rural India is in distress, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which could have provided some relief, is itself facing its worst period ever. The number of people working under the scheme and the amount of work provided is dwindling, and the trend...