-The Hindu Business Line   Chemical-intensive agriculture has ravaged our soil quality. History tells us that the consequences could be catastrophic During the 86th birthday celebrations of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Indian farmers "deserve a standing ovation". However, he reminded the gathered scientists that it was not enough to SIT in five-star seminar rooms and analyse why something could not be done; rather, they should...

-The Business Standard/ Agencies   1,500 villages under water; Assam, Bihar too affected  Lucknow/ New Delhi: Floods triggered by heavy rains in the Himalayas have inundated nearly 1,500 villages in Uttar Pradesh, killing at least 28 people and leaving thousands homeless, officials said on Sunday. Thousands were marooned in villages across nine districts of Uttar Pradesh, where the release of water from overflowing dams in neighbouring Nepal has added to the impact of the...

-Ecnomic and Political Weekly Despite recent improvements in the maternal health scenario in rural Assam, it remains the state with the highest number of maternal deaths in the country. Institutional delivery, antenatal care, and postnatal care have been actively promoted by the state to deal with the SITuation. However, state policies are still incongruously geared towards addressing the issue without taking sufficient note of the various sociocultural impediments in the way...

-The Hindu Guwahati: About 3.68 lakh people in 14 districts of Assam have been affected as the flood SITuation turned grim with the Brahmaputra and its tributaries - Desang, Dhansiri, Jiabharali, Beki and Puthimari - submerging vast areas in 791 villages. Floodwaters have inundated about 70 per cent of the Kaziranga National Park, forcing animals to migrate to high grounds near the southern boundary across the National Highway 37. Environment and Forest...

-The Hindu   More and more parents in big cities are choosing schools that offer an alternative system of education over conventional institutions in the hope that children will grow into well-rounded personalities away from the rat race and uninhibited by the pressure to be in the top percentile For parents of today, finding a "good school" for their children is a quest that requires a lot of thought and effort. But in...