-PTI Delay in onset of monsoon and its slow progress have led to late sowing of paddy, pulses, oilseeds and cotton, but the sowing window is available till early August and its coverage is expected to improve with progress of rains, the Government told the Lok Sabha today. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said the Government has taken several measures to address "any situation" arising due to deficiency in rainfall. "Delay in...

-The Hindu   6,494 children, 53 per cent of them girls, disappeared from January 1 to December 31, 2013 It has been a year and four months since her 13-year-old daughter Rosie went missing from their home in North-West Delhi and even today when Nasima Khatun recounts the tale her eyes well up. The girl was alone at home while her three siblings were at work and school that day, said Ms. Khatun, who...

-The Times of India BANGALORE: With 1.4 million kids not attending class, India may rank fourth globally on the number of out of school children (OOSC), but Karnataka's performance on that index has improved, if figures are an indication. The state's OOSC rate has come down by around 45% in a span of eight months. What's more heartening is that fewer girls are opting to drop out of schools. A 2013-14 survey...

-The Business Standard Centre keeps close watch, prays for rain revival; area under paddy, coarse cereals at 5-year low till now With the southwest monsoon's progress a worry, the Union department of agriculture is keeping a close watch on 38 districts across the country where the rainfall condition till June has been alarming and chances of drought are the highest. The assessment is based on rainfall in June and the first few days...

-The Hindu Adilabad (Telengana): Alarmed over the continuing dry spell and the expected power shortage in the near future, the Agriculture Department in the district has advised farmers to desist from cultivating paddy this kharif season. Paddy cultivation could result in failure, besides drastically depleting groundwater level in the coming months, officials said. The normal area under paddy cultivation during the season is about 52,000 hectares and farmers are making preparations for...