-The Telegraph New Delhi: A network of 293 ground motion sensors located across northern, eastern and northeastern India lay crippled during Nepal's 7.9 magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks, handicapping researchers trying to assess how the quakes affected cities and towns in these regions. No one knows how many of the 293 sensors designed to measure ground acceleration during earthquakes were actually recording data during the weekend earthquakes because funding for maintenance of...

-The Indian Express A little more than a week ago, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), which he called an “extraordinary effort” at financial inclusion. According to the Union finance ministry, India has attained 99 per cent financial inclusion, measured as households’ access to bank accounts. Within three months of launching the PMJDY, the government entered the Guinness...

-Livemint.com/ India Ratings Report by India Ratings & Research Non-performing loan ratio of agriculture loan portfolio could double for some banks The asset quality of India’s agricultural credit could be significantly affected by crop damage due to untimely hail and rain in March, according to India Ratings and Research. The non-performing loan (NPL) ratio of the agriculture loan portfolio could double for some banks, though the reduction of overall return on average assets...

-Livemint.com How farmers in chronically drought-prone Bundelkhand made the rational choices to improve their lot and yet ended up in a debt trap Banda/New Delhi: “I have made up my mind. I cannot repay my loans. I cannot free my land. I will die,” Ram Bahadur Singh said, with a casual chuckle. The neighbours seated around did not react; after all, this was not the first time that the 52-year-old from...

 -Press Information Bureau/ Ministry of Health and Family Welfare   The Government has conducted District Level Household Surveys (DLHS) during 1998-99 (DLHS-1), 2002-04 (DLHS-2), 2007-08 (DLHS-3) and 2012-13 (DLHS-4). Further, Annual Health Survey (AHS) which also provide district level data was conducted during 2010-11(AHS-1), 2011-12 (AHS-2) and 2012-13 (AHS-3).  The AHS was conducted in Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Please click here to read more. ...