-Down to Earth More than a fourth of rural students opt for private schools for better education, says Annual State of Education Report by non-profit Pratham The Union government may have made right to education a fundamental right by bringing into force the Right To Education (RTE) Act of 2009, but government schools are lagging far behind in providing quality education, according to the latest report released by Delhi-based non-profit, Pratham. At...

-The Telegraph Jamshedpur: Residents of 23 villages in Seraikela-Kharsawan have alleged that Kandra-based thermal power plant Adhunik Power and Natural Resources Limited (APNRL), which started production over a year ago, is ruining their lives with the toxic fly ash it generates, creating yet another conflict between industry and community. The Adhunik power plant, located at Padamdih village in Kandra along Tata-Kandra road, only 15km from Jamshedpur, commissioned its first two phases of...

-The Hindu What is it that spurs an individual to quit a Government job and take up farming as a full time profession? Or why does an MBA student be more interested to become a full time farmer than work in a company? "If the annual agriculture income is more than a salaried income, youngsters will take the plunge into it. Unlike the old adage that agriculture comprises only old people into...

-The Week Telangana leader claims he is making astronomical profits from capsicum farming Telangana: Not many politicians who own land are farmers. But Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K. Chandrasekhara Rao is different. While he ensures Telangana remains a burning issue, Rao is also busy growing capsicum, potato, bitter gourd, and bottle gourd. The capsicum crop itself, he claims, will fetch him Rs.10 crore. His claim of huge returns and promise of land...

-The Hindustan Times Moga (Punjab): A Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) study has found that farmers in the state are wasting more than Rs. 175 crore on application of unnecessary fertiliser on crops a year. A large quantity of nitrogen also seeped underground resulting into the contamination of ground Water. The study has found that incorrect and inappropriate application of fertilisers by farmers to gain bumper yield leads to the deterioration of soil,...