-The Hindu Hygiene and sanitation will be the focus of the next round of sample survey across the country that will begin on July 1. K.P. Unnikrishnan, Deputy Director-General, National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), South zone, said here on Monday that source and availability of drinking water and housing conditions too would be included in the survey. In the south of Karnataka, including Bangalore district, 76 villages and 116 urban blocks have been...

-The Economic Times Sowing has picked up in Andhra Pradesh following good rains in the last two days. But farmers in Maharashtra are worried with the scarce reservoir water being kept aside for drinking purpose.  "Only 8% sowing has been completed till now. Crops of moong and urad have been affected the most. Standing crops are also getting affected due to water shortage as groundwater has gone down and there is no...

-The Hindu Technical glitches in the unique identification method make it unreliable in disbursing wages under the employment guarantee scheme   Within a few weeks of “Aadhaar-enabled” payments of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme wages being initiated in Jharkhand, earlier this year, glowing accounts of this experiment started appearing in the national media. Some of them also gave the impression, intentionally or otherwise, that this successful experiment covered most of Jharkhand....

-PTI ITANAGAR: The flood situation in Arunachal Pradesh has become grim with reports on Tuesday of fresh areas being inundated by flood waters in several districts of the state leaving many families stranded.  The situation has turned for worse in Anjaw, Lohit, Changlang, Dibang Valley, East Siang and Upper Siang districts of the state with all the major rivers and their tributaries in spate and flowing above the red mark.  At Bordumsa under...

The State finds a handy tool in a colonial law to quell dissent Wrong Arm Of The Law   Why ‘sedition’ rings hollow in India 2012 The law Section 124(A) of the Indian Penal Code, 1870; non-bailable offence The definition Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government...