-The Hindu Some hydel projects that claim exemption from environmental clearance on the bASIs of size provide a misleading picture of their impact Why would more than four gram panchayats, environmental activists from three States, the presiding swami of the Subramanya Temple, botanists, fisheries scientists, and institutions like the Indian Institute of Science oppose a small hydel project in a remote corner of the Western Ghats in Karnataka? Aren't small hydel projects...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: There were signs of onion prices falling in certain cities on Monday. Similar correction in prices are expected in the next few days as arrival has increased almost two-fold at ASIa's largest onion market in Lasalgaon. Similar was the trend in Pimpalgaon and Delhi. Food ministry sources said higher quantity of onion arriving at markets will increase supply across the country in the next few days...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: India's slum population will surge to 104 million by 2017 - or around 9% of the total projected national population of 1.28 billion that year. This means urban planners will face escalating challenges as these slums will mostly proliferate in sleepy towns and in semi-rural areas, a consequence of an accelerating rural to urban shift across the nation. According to data provided in Parliament, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh,...

-The Times of India BANGALORE: The Karnataka high court has wondered whether any family can survive on an annual income of less than Rs 11,800, the ceiling to apply for BDA sites under economically weaker sections (EWS) category. Observing that the government must revise the ceiling for all categories every year, the high court has said a beneficiary must not pay for government's failure. "The Rs 11,800 ceiling was fixed long ago. The...

-Economic and Political Weekly In his article, "Does India Really Suffer from Worse Child Malnutrition Than Sub-Saharan Africa?", Arvind Panagariya makes an impassioned case against accepting traditional measures that indicate that Indian children suffer from worse malnutrition than their African counterparts. This phenomenon - that Indian children are more stunted despite the country's better performance on an array of other health and development indicators was dubbed the "South ASIan Enigma" in...