-The Times of India DEHRADUN/ ALMORA: Over 900 villages across the state had plunged into darkness when cloudbursts and incessant rains hit Uttarakhand on July 1. Of these, around 150 are still in the dark. Senior officials of the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) said on Monday that the scale of damage to transmission lines was "unprecedented" . "The strong winds and continued rains snapped many poles and supply lines were also...

-The Hindu Business Line Low ground water levels have led to sluggish start to sowing of most kharif crops Pay Commission payouts may be a welcome shower of salary, but monsoon showers matter most for the economy. Why so? The proportion of the country’s working population dependent on agriculture was at 38 per cent in 2011-12 — and this, even as the share of agriculture in the Indian economy stood at a modest 15...

-The Hindu Business Line The National e-Governance Plan can ensure that higher devolution of funds translates into improved outcomes Cutting edge technology is, no doubt, empowering. The right application of technology can boost productivity in all sectors of the economy: agriculture, manufacturing, services, business and governmental activities. Technology enables informed decision-making, stakeholder participation and efficient service delivery and can help ensure transparency, accountability, and rule of law leading to inclusive good governance....

-The Hindu Business Line   Icrisat-Microsoft develop solution that analyses massive data to predict the right time Hyderabad: Forget about weather SMSes or marketing tips to farmers over the phone. Now, an app-based solution can tell farmers when to sow their seeds. Sifting massive volumes of data, this app will help farmers in Andhra Pradesh to pick the perfect sowing week. The advice could vary from farmer to farmer and from village to...

-The Hindu Business Line India against negotiations on these subsidies ahead of other issues New Delhi: Subsidies given to small and marginal fishermen in India could next be targeted by developed nations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as attempts by members to cherry-pick issues at the multilateral trade forum continue. “We are apprehensive of attempts being made at the WTO by some members to push negotiations on fisheries subsidies ahead of other...