-The Hindu Demand is high in semi-urban areas; hay supplements the animal feed TIRUCHI: There has been a scramble for purchasing hay for cattle among livestock owners in the district. The demand for hay has been on the rise, particularly in semi-urban areas, where the cattle owners have to largely rely on the hay available in nearby villages. No sooner a paddy field is harvested cattle owners camp in the area. A case in...

-Outlook The faecal matter hits the rotary blades, politically-but we're still staring at a sanitation disaster "Indians defecate everywhere. They defecate mostly besides the railway tracks. But they also defecate on the beaches; they defecate on the hills; they defecate on the river banks; they defecate on the streets; they never look for cover." -V.S. Naipaul An Area of Darkness, 1964 Not...

-Frontline Riding roughshod over farmers' concerns, the Gujarat government notifies a project to develop the Mandal-Becharaji Special Investment Region, an industrial hub spread over 50,884 hectares, affecting 44 villages. But the villagers see it as a real estate scam and are determined to resist it. GUJARAT may soon have several new townships. The Narendra Modi-led government has proposed to set up 13 special investment regions (SIRs), which are essentially industrial hubs...

-The Business Standard Demand for products from the 'poor man's cow' is rising exponentially and should be encouraged. A goat is generally potrayed as a "poor man's cow". But that seems to be an understatement. Compared to cows, goats are more hardy, multi-utility, easy-to-maintain and prolific animals that can efficiently convert low-value vegetation, tree leaves and crop residues into high value meat, milk, hide, manure and fibre, including the much sought-after Pashmina...

-The Indian Express Dehradun: This horse has spent his entire life ferrying pilgrims to and from Kedarnath Dham. And since December 16 -- when the first rush of water brought with it untold devastation for the region -- this horse has been stuck on a rocky bed across river Mandakini, without a blade of grass to graze on. We shall call him Hope. ''All attempts, by NGOs and even the Army, to...