-IPS News UNITED NATIONS- When the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reach their deadline in 2015, there will still be a critical setback: millions of people in the developing world without full access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation and electricity in their homes. Conscious of this shortcoming, the 193-member General Assembly hosted a two-day high-level meeting, which concluded Wednesday, to address three thematic issues: water, sanitation and sustainable energy, specifically in...

-Outlook Mumbai: RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan today said individuals without a bank account will soon be able to receive money from those with bank accounts, using automated teller machines (ATM). "We have recently approved the in-principle setting up of a payment system which will facilitate funds transfer from bank account holders to those without accounts through ATMs," he said, delivering the DR Gadgil lecture here. Rajan said the move is driven by the...

-The Telegraph Nagpur: The cabbage and cauliflower came to fruition today; the sunflower, the chrysanthemum, the mustard and the coriander flowered through last week, one by one. It was timed that way - to mark a revival and, possibly, a retirement. When India's biggest carnival of farmers was opened today after a gap of over half a century, there was also a feeling that perhaps a spectacular farewell was being given to Sharad...

-Deccan Herald A novel technology-aided crop protection programme helps farmers in Raichur combat pests and diseases. M A Siraj reveals the secret behind the healthy produce in Raichur. Information Technology (IT) is no longer the exclusive preserve of the city folk. It is making subtle inroads into farming communities of Karnataka. Those who saw the elitist bias in IT would be better off making amends if they thought an e-future only a...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Public buses in 32 cities will have GPS facilities and video recorders under a proposal approved by the cabinet today as part of the Nirbhaya Fund for women's safety. The clearance of the road transport ministry's proposal comes over a year after the December 16, 2012, gang rape of a paramedic student in a Delhi bus and death weeks later. The Justice J.S Verma Committee, formed after the atrocity...