-Economic and Political Weekly A categorical distinction is facing rough weather--that between urban and rural. If we take just agriculture, there is so much of the outside world that comes in not just as external markets but as external inputs. Further, many of our villages barely qualify as rural if we were to take occupation alone. So the earlier line that separated the farmer from the worker in towns is slowly...

-The Indian Express A few days after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) barred several organisations, including some top educational institutions, from receiving foreign funds, some of them hit back at the Centre on Friday saying the government made a “gross mistake” by including them in the list of NGOs receiving foreign funds. Educational institutions like IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Delhi, Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Panjab University were among those barred by the...

-The Financial Express To deal with the possibility of a deficit monsoon, the agriculture ministry has suggested sowing of short- duration varieties of paddy, pulses, oilseeds and other less water-intensive crops in the northern India regions for curbing possible crop losses. In its first advisory for the northern Indian region, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), a premier institute under the ministry of agriculture, has suggested transplanting of short duration paddy varieties of...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Terms like inclusive growth and roof-for-all may have gained political currency in the recent years, but trends show how public sector banks and Housing Finance Corporation (HFC) are reluctant to provide housing loans to the poor and lower middle class. The data that was presented before MPs at the consultative committee of urban development and housing alleviation on Wednesday highlighted how the outstanding housing loans up...

-The Times of India GUWAHATI: The flood situation in Assam worsened on Thursday following incessant rains in the state and upper reaches of Brahmaputra river in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. The Central Water Commission (CWC) has issued an alert after the water level of Brahmaputra river crossed the warning level mark in Guwahati. According to the CWC, the Brahmaputra river was flowing at least 0.20 metres above the warning level mark of 48.68...