-The Hindu   Farmers being imparted information on the nature of soil in addition to the kind of fertilizers to be used Sangareddy (Andhra Pradesh): Manaiah, a farmer from Sadashivpet in Medak district, has decided to cultivate cotton in the current kharif season and has already submitted his soil sample at the testing laboratory located at the district headquarters. Welcome advice Early this month, Mr Manaiah received a short messaging service (SMS) on his mobile...

-Live Mint   With a new political transition, it may be a good idea for the new government to work on an idea as to how to enable all health workers across the country to have data-enabled smartphones If you have no electricity, you can survive despite inconvenience; if you have no pucca house, you still survive on thatched shelters; if you have bad roads, you can still communicate on the patched...

-Down to Earth   Poverty line figures hide people's aspirations There are lies, damn lies and statistics, American author Mark Twain once wrote echoing a similar statement by the British statesman Benjamin Disraeli. Statistics aim to reveal a lot, but they conceal vital information. This concealing tendency of statistics explains much of the flak received by the Planning Commission when it released figures on the poverty line. In 2012, the commission announced that...

-The Indian Express   Pune (Maharashtra): Agriculture dept says the ‘first-of-its-kind' portal will have real-time information on area under fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices. In a move aimed to help planners and agriculturists, the Commissionerate of Agriculture is putting final touches to a web portal that will track the production of fruits and vegetables in the state. Claimed to be first of its kind, the portal will have real-time information about the area...

-The Hindu Passengers will be picked up from doorstep for just Rs. 10 above meter fare Chennai: Starting Thursday, city residents will be able to hail an autorickshaw with their mobile phones. By simply sending a text message, passengers will now be picked up from their doorsteps, at an additional cost of just Rs. 10 above the meter fare. The service will be available 24x7. Nearly 1,000 autorickshaws belonging to the All-India Trade Union...