Officials who came for soil testing sent back Government officials who came to carry out soil testing for a proposed atomic power plant in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district had to go back due to resistance and demonstrations by local villagers. The proposed 8,000 MW capacity plant, a joint venture of the Central and State governments with the support of the United States, is to be set up close to the Alang ship-breaking...

The blockade of two national highways in Manipur by Naga groups entered the 55th day on Sunday and the prices of essential commodities remained high. Hundreds of Trucks are still stranded. The All-Naga Students' Association launched the blockade on April 12 to protest against elections to six autonomous district councils in the hills which, it alleged, were given not enough powers to carry out development works. However, the Manipur government has...

If the Northeast has occupied the farthest nook of mainland India’s consciousness, the state of Manipur has been given the tiniest toehold on that nook. That is why the rest of the nation, as a rule, doesn’t think of the eight states (including Sikkim) beyond the chicken’s neck, except for news of death and gore. But gory news is largely and thankfully past, and tales from the Northeast, except about...

The Central Vigilance Committee on Public Distribution System (PDS) headed by Justice (rtd) DP Wadhwa has come down heavily on the Public Districution Syetem in its recently submitted report. The committee has ruled that the whole system of procurement and distribution of food grains is built on corruption and its benefits to the poor are low. His prescription: Innovative methods to improve the system. "The whole system has to be...

At first glance, the vegetable patches in this north Indian village look no different from the many small, spare farms that dot the country. But up close, visitors can see some curious experiments: insect traps made with reusable plastic bags; bamboo poles helping bitter gourd grow bigger and straighter; and seedlings germinating from plastic trays under a fine net. These are low-tech innovations, to be sure. But they are crucial...