-Outlook New Delhi: One out of every five schools in the national capital does not have the periodic fire safety clearance certificate, according to a review conducted by the Delhi Fire Services which received the highest number of fire- related calls in the past 10 years this Diwali. "At least 20 per cent of the schools in the city – mostly the ones run by the government or municipal corporations – have...

-The Economic Times Blog Two apparently unrelated events — a sharp fall in factory output growth and a spike in consumer price inflation —point to deep problems underlying the economy. September industry growth fell to 3.6%, the lowest in four months. Meanwhile, the consumer price index (CPI) went up to 5% in October, higher than the consensus estimate of 4.8%, headed north for the third successive month. The rise in prices is driven...

-The Hindu Business Line A tribal woman shows farmers how to transform their lives by adopting efficient and environmentally friendly practices “I don’t know your name, Collector Sahib, but you are very welcome in our village,” says Leelaben Karsanbhai, 30. Like a seasoned speaker, she is addressing a meeting of 100-odd villagers and all the bada sahib who have descended on the tribal village of Katarvad, 130 km east of Vadodara, Gujarat,...

-Down to Earth The rate at which informal housing is being destroyed probably far exceeds the rate at which formal housing is being constructed Troubled by the degradation of environment on and around railway tracks, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently directed Delhi government to relocate all illegal settlements along tracks in Delhi. The tribunal reasoned that the residents of these settlements practise open defecation and litter on the tracks. Housing of the...

-The Hindu Mumbai: The Maharashtra government will seek a Rs. 4,300-crore financial assistance package from the Centre for providing succour to over 16,000 drought-affected villages, State Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Eknath Khadse said on Saturday. Mr. Khadse said a memorandum seeking funds, expected to benefit over 60 lakh farmers in the drought-affected region, would be sent to New Delhi on Sunday. The Minister, who had earlier declared over 14,708 villages drought-affected, said the...