-The Hindu Despite media coverage and VIP interest, police unable to make headway BHANDARA: Ten days after the dead bodies of three sisters were found in a well near Murmadi village of Lakhani tehsil in Bhandara district of maharashtra, the police have made no arrests and the perpetrators are still at large. Residents of Murmadi, Lakhani and nearby villages continue to protest by blocking the National highway No.6, taking out candle marches, and...

-The Business Standard State budgets are raining sops to pull farmers' votes With elections staring at them, several state governments are suddenly waking up to the demands of farmers and offering sops to the agriculture sector in their budgets, even as farmer organisations say the state and Central governments should do more.    Karnataka, which pioneered the trend of having a separate agriculture budget--similar to the railway budget at the Centre — brought...

-The Times of India The Union government downplayed the opposition's concern over allowing foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail and informed the Supreme Court on Friday that the policy, when fully implemented, would touch the lives of only 13.3% of the country's population living in 53 cities. The government said its policy on FDI in multi-brand retail stipulated that retail sales outlets could be set up only in cities with a population...

-NDTV Kadavanchi: Lush green vineyards, tons of luscious grapes, acres of maize and jowar, and most importantly, millions of litres of water- images that are in stark contrast to the despair visible across Marathawada's eight districts. This isn't maharashtra's greener western belts of Konkan and Raigad, but this oasis is in the Jalna district in the heart of the Marathawada region which is in the grip of the worst drought since...

-Frontline Social development indicators in Gujarat are poor, proving that development in the State is lopsided On a hot day last November near Rajkot, Ramjibhai Patel, an octogenarian farmer, pointed to the middle distance and said, “See that lake?” There was indeed a shimmer in the dry landscape indicating water, but after a relatively poor monsoon, it seemed improbable. Chuckling, he said, “Yes, I see doubt on your face and you are...