-IndiaSpend.com Data demonstrate that discrimination against the SCs and STs in education, employment and property ownership continues despite affirmative action policies. Earlier this week, when upper-caste villagers in the western UP district of Firozabad tried to prevent the funeral of a Dalit paramilitary soldier killed in a terrorist ambush, it was the latest manifestation of widespread discrimination against the 305 million Indians belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Upper-caste villagers refused to...

-The Times of India Raipur: Chhattisgarh faces danger of drought, as the state received 59% deficit rain in June. Moreover, monsoon appears to be feeble in the coming months because low pressure over Bay of Bengal is moving only towards Bastar. These are the findings of a weather analysis report prepared by IIT-Bhubaneswar and NASA, said professor ASRAS Sastri, prominent researcher of agro-meteorology in Chhattisgarh. The report also warned that not only...

-The Hindu Wetlands need to be reinforced as more than just open sources of water. How they are identified and conserved requires a rethink The government is all set to change the rules on wetlands. The Draft Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2016, which will replace the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules of 2010, seek to give power to the States to decide what they must do with their wetlands. This includes...

-Hindustan Times India has the largest population of modern slaves in the world with more than 18 million people trapped as bonded labourers, forced beggars, sex workers and child soldiers, a global survey report said on Monday. The Global Slavery Index by human rights organisation Walk Free Foundation said the number was 1.4% of India’s population, the fourth highest among 167 countries with the largest proportion of slaves. “Existing research suggests all forms...

-The Hindu Business Line Advisory urges Kerala farmers to undertake nursery for rice, vegetables and orchard crop Thiruvananthapuram: Meteorological subdivision-level rainfall forecast indicates rainfall activity over South India during June 3 to 9, which can bring the onset of the South-West monsoon. Normal date for onset over Kerala is June 1. The June 3-9 window has been projected in the national agro-met advisory service bulletin based on extended range weather forecast valid for...