-The Hindu So far, 2.11 lakh children across the State enrolled in private schools under the quota Bengaluru: Those ‘big’ schools in the neighbourhood have for long been a dream for many students from the economically weaker sections. The RTE quota that reserves 25 per cent of the seats to such children has come as a boon, though several issues continue to nag the implementation of the Act, which came into force...

-The Times of India MUMBAI: It's known as the land of politically powerful sugar barons and has long been the leading producer of sugarcane in the country. But this year, Maharashtra has Turned out the highest sugar output ever in its 55-year history. By May, it's expecting an output of a record 103 lakh tons—34% more than in 2014. But the glut is not good news. Sugar prices have crashed by Rs...

-The Indian Express During the election campaign, the BJP had promised a 50 per cent profit margin on minimum support prices to farmers. But over the past year, the optimism of farmers has Turned to despair. Since the parliamentary elections, basmati paddy prices have fallen by 35 per cent and cotton by 25 per cent. The era of cooperative federalism notwithstanding, the Centre practically decreed that states not announce a crop...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In a fresh threat to the fragile ecosystem of the Aravalis, the Haryana forest department has reversed its earlier order and asked officials not to designate lands in the range as forests, other than those formally recorded as such. The order implies that vast tracts of forests, including most parts of the sacred Mangarbani grove, would now be recorded as 'not forest'. This reverses the department's...

-The Times of India An iodine patch, designed like a regular bindi, is expected to help one lakh tribal women in north-west Maharashtra battle iodine deficiency. Since these tribals don't consume iodized salt, they are usually deficiency in this nutrient. Last month, these iodine bindis were distributed free to tribal women in villages near Nashik and Ahmednagar. "Each woman got 30 bindis to last a month. When stuck on the forehead, it...