-The Hindu Shortfall unlikely to impede agriculture, officials say. Amidst concerns that monsoon rains could fall short of “normal,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is reviewing its projections. Officials, however, told The Hindu that while July rains were less than expected, the shortfall was confined to the northeastern States of India and below-normal rains were unlikely to impede agriculture production. It’s expected to take a call before the weekend on whether to stick...

-Hindustan Times Unfulfilled promise of generating 1.5 million jobs, anger among castes that formed the traditional BJP vote base and rural distress will be major issues when Rajasthan goes to polls. When chief minister Vasundhara Raje undertook her jan samwad (public dialogues) initiative across Rajasthan in January 2018, the idea was for her to step out of Jaipur to meet and talk to people across the state and dispel the impression...

-The Hindu Amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act aim to limit overzealousness of enforcement agencies, but they raise important concerns too It is unfortunate that India has not been able to shed the image of a highly corrupt nation even after seven decades of Independence. The average Indian believes that he cannot get even the basic services to which he is entitled under the law without greasing the palms of one...

-The Economic Times NUH/ ALWAR/ JAIPUR: Thirty-five year old Munna is sipping his midmorning cup of tea with his uncle Ali Mohammed at Sharma dhaba. This resident of Doha village in Nuh district of Haryana has just wrapped up the day at Jaipur’s weekly Hatwara pashu mela (cattle fair) buying 10 buffaloes for himself. He has reason to be vigilant as he prepares for the evening journey across the border. “We have...

-Hindustan Times The universities need to think of evolving a strategy to hire the best people and offer them attractive salaries to keep them motivated More than half the professorial posts in country’s central universities are vacant. Of the 2,426 sanctioned posts for professors across the central universities, 1,301 have not been filled, reveals data provided by human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar in the Lok Sabha. The lacuna caused by faculty...