-The Wire Science * Several houses along the eastern Indian coast have been impacted by constant sea erosion, cyclones and other environmental factors. Those living there have abandoned these houses. * Some living in these vulnerable areas, close to the Bay of Bengal, voluntarily moved as the tidal waves hit their homes, while others were resettled by the government. * Inter-state migration from such coastal hotspots has also been reported from Odisha, Andhra...

-The Telegraph The dole of ghee, salt, gram and cash is likely to work with some segments of voters Bareilly: One-kilo packets of ghee, salt and black gram along with the 5kg rice or wheat provided free against ration cards. Mixed with a generous portion of the Karnataka hijab controversy. That’s the cocktail the BJP is serving in Uttar Pradesh to arrest the dent in its vote bank. “The Yogi Adityanath government has added...

-Down to Earth The state is considering rolling out its own insurance programme for farmers Maharashtra may follow several other big states and opt out Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the Narendra Modi government’s much-vaunted crop insurance scheme. India’s second-most populous state may replace the central scheme with its own — a step already adopted by states like West Bengal. Farmer groups have already flagged irregularities in PMFBY at a February 1,...

-The Telegraph The risks of mining in Goa far outweigh ‘developmental gains’ Over five years ago, Hartman de Souza, a Goan, wrote a very angry book, Eat Dust: Mining and Greed in Goa, about the political economy of mining, giving a harrowing account of the mining racket orchestrated by those with political power, money and influence during the Age of Greed (2008-2011). This year, four national political parties are fighting the Goa elections...

-The Hindu Only if the Samajwadi Party-led coalition wins by a large margin can it be assured of government formation It is clear that the fierce electoral battle for Uttar Pradesh is mainly between the Akhilesh Yadav-led gathbandhan (coalition) and the Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), even if it appears multi-cornered on paper. The failure of unity among supposedly secular parties against the BJP once again demonstrates not just their half-hearted...