-The Hindu   Farmers being imparted information on the nature of soil in addition to the kind of fertilizers to be used Sangareddy (Andhra Pradesh): Manaiah, a farmer from Sadashivpet in Medak district, has decided to cultivate cotton in the current kharif season and has already submitted his soil sample at the testing laboratory located at the district headquarters. Welcome advice Early this month, Mr Manaiah received a short messaging service (SMS) on his mobile...

-Down to Earth   The Gram Nyayalaya Act was passed in 2008 to make the judicial process participatory, inexpensive and accessible to rural India. But rural courts are still few and far between When a mobile court visited Luhari village in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district a year ago, it was a blessing for people like Birsan Singh. A tea vendor, Birsan would lose his daily income whenever he had to attend court. He...

-The Business Standard   Rajkot (Gujarat): The Gujarat government has received lukewarm response from farmers for the mobile applications launched by it for providing them information related to agriculture. Hardly one percent farmers are using mobile applications in the state for receiving information from the government, according to state government and industry officials. The Gujarat government has so far launched around 20 mobile applications for passing on relevant agri-related information to farmers. Some...

-The Indian Express   Every time they step out, say the women of the village, it is with the fear of being teased, the shame of being seen, and the discomfort of counting hours. The two girls in Badaun who were raped and killed had left home to go to the fields to relieve themselves. Every time they step out, say the women of the village, it is with the fear of being...

-Al Jazeera   Activists and feminists seek implementation of law to check violence against women as new government is sworn in. New Delhi - Two days after Narendra Modi emerged victorious in India's national elections, Kiran battled the heat and crowd to see the man she had voted for in the ancient city of Varanasi. Modi, a leader of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party, who took oath as the prime minister of India on...