Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has lambasted chief minister Ashok Chavan and deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal over the recent selection of the four information commissioners. Calling the selection, ``improper and unfortunate'', Hazare has instructed the duo in a letter on Monday to rectify the situation. Chavan, Bhujbal and Eknath Khadse, leader of the opposition, formed the three-member panel which approved of the name of Vilas Patil, till recently the information commissioner for...

After a significant jump in retail price of potato in the last two weeks due to disruption of supplies on account of heavy rain in northern India, prices are all set to fall because of huge stocks with traders in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, the two biggest potato producing states and expected arrival of the new crop from Punjab next month. Traders in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, who were...

Social activist Anna Hazare  has said that he strongly opposed the recent selection of the four information commissioners for Maharashtra and that he would urge the governor not to swear them in. Hazare said this to a bunch of RTI activists who had been camping at his village, Ralegan Siddhi, from October 6, seeking his intervention in the selection process. According to Gaurang Vora, one of the activists, Hazare told them...

Three farmers in the district have committed suicide at three different places due to debts, police said today. The incident occurred yesterday, they said. Yogesh Mankar (29), a resident of Taharabad, and Sukhdev Shinde (55), a resident of Devla, had taken loan from banks and failed to repay it because of which they committed suicide, police said. Meanwhile, Shivaji Sapnar, a farmer from Ujani also committed suicide. However, the cause of his...

ven as the state Agriculture Department maintains that it has a draft organic farming policy ready that might be implemented soon, farmers don’t seem to have high hopes from a policy that is being formulated for five years now. Director, horticulture department, DG Bakwad, said, “We cannot give a definite date for the implementation of the policy as certain procedural matters may take time. We are ready with the draft policy...