-The Hindu District Mineral Foundations were set up to protect the interests of Adivasi communities who have borne the costs of mining. But they are flawed in their current form Through 2011-13, dogged investigators from the Justice M. B. Shah Commission on illegal mining toured the rust-red villages, forests and rivers of northern Odisha, and trawled through reams of official records including from the environment, minerals, railways, and revenue departments. They met...

-The Times of India AURANGABAD/ KOLHAPUR: The parched Marathwada region and scarcity-hit parts of western Maharashtra received much-needed rainfall over the past two days. The sudden heavy showers brought cheer to the farming community that has been worried about the survival of the kharif crop. Barring Aurangabad district, widespread showers were observed in the seven districts of Marathwada region on Monday. Around 21 areas from Marathwada have recorded more than 50 mm...

-Down to Earth The live storage of reservoirs in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and all southern states is far below normal. Almost 75 per cent of the monsoon season is over. By this time in the year, farmers, industries and citizens are able to start reaping the benefits of rainfall-filled reservoirs. But for the second year in a row, a normal monsoon has given India a miss. In June this year, the...

-The Times of India MUMBAI: In 2014, Maharashtra had more women in its police force than any other state or union territory in India. But its 17,957 policewomen formed a minuscule 10.48% of the state's total police force. Delhi ranks 12th in the list, at 7.15%, well below Chandigarh's top tally of 14.16%. The Maharashtra numbers are particularly depressing because the state was the first to introduce a 30% reservation for women...

-Al Jazeera Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to narrow the gap between Indian elites and the rest of the population India has experienced a significant economic growth spurt in recent decades. After seeing annual growth of 3 percent in the years after independence in 1947, the rate began to double, reaching a rate of around 6 percent per year after 1980. However, the distribution of growth proceeds has been very uneven...