-India Together All the increased budgets for education in the country may not amount to much, if the States don't move the money fast enough to the intended uses, which is not happening now. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports.  The Comptroller and Auditor General's recent performance review of elementary education in Tripura has once again brought to our attention prolonged delays in release of funds meant for schools. The performance review, of accounts spanning...

-PTI The passage of the Lokpal bill is set to be delayed further with a Parliamentary committee examining the legislation likely to seek an extension till the beginning of the Winter session of Parliament. The Rajya Select Committee on Lokpal/Lokayukta Bill which met today is learnt to have decided to seek an extension of its term to complete the examination of the measure. The term of the panel ends on September 3 and...

-The Hindu “Direct sowing is the way out in times of delayed water release and scarcity’’ As acres and acres of untilled land dot the tail-end of the Delta this year, there lays a tilled stretch of some 20 acres in Madapuram in Thiruthuraipoondi, bordering Nagapattinam, in the first and the only rains that lashed a few days ago. Seventy-six-year-old Oysul Karunai awaits the second spell to re-till his fields and broadcast the...

-Frontline A recession-hit world is only just waking up to the prospect of the coming food crisis resulting in a period of political turmoil with unexpected consequences.  For the third time in five years, the world is braced for another food crisis. Bad weather conditions are leading to projections of major production shortfalls in some of the world’s leading food suppliers. Substantially reduced access and sharp price increases are, therefore, expected to...

-The Economic Times Sales of inverters and batteries jumped about 30% for the quarter to June, as a Delayed monsoon pushed up power consumption in energy-deficient India.  Manufacturers of power backup systems say they expect good profits this year, as the increase in sales will offset the rise in input costs due to a weak rupee. The country's largest battery maker Exide Industries said growth was robust despite a 4%-5% rise in prices....