-Outlook A crusader for Dalit rights, Bezwada Wilson, on reclaiming for the Dalits a life of human dignity in a structurally apathetic society. On many occasions, the Ramon Magsaysay Award has been bestowed on individuals of various ilks and ideological persuasions. For the first time, perhaps, it speaks to an issue that touches the lives of millions of people because an award for Bezwada Wilson (50) is an international acknowledgement of the...

-The Hindu Young victims require complicated surgeries under anaesthesia, many for damage to their eyes. Srinagar: Eight-year-old Junaid Ahmad on Sunday became the latest victim of ‘targeted fire’ when he was shot at from close range by a pellet gun, resulting in extensive injuries to his chest. Junaid is the latest to figure in the grim statistics showing that 14 per cent of those injured by pellets since July 9 are below...

-The Hindu New Delhi: Parliament’s standing Committee on Agriculture may have expressed concern at the unscientific and excessive use of pesticides in agriculture that pose a threat both to the environment and human health. But experts say their judicious use, combined with safe agricultural practices, is the only way out as the country’s growing demand for food cannot be met through organic farming. In its recently presented report in Parliament for 2015-16,...

-Business Standard Meteorologists said the slump could push the cumulative monsoon into the negative zone for the first time New Delhi: The southwest monsoon, which has had a stupendous run so far in 2016, has entered a weak phase for the first time since it gathered steam in July over most parts of the country. Eastern, northeastern India and parts of central India have been spared from this lull, which might continue...

-Down to Earth A parliamentary standing committee blamed Agriculture Ministry’s skewed policy for the inequality in fertiliser usage The parliamentary standing committee on agriculture has recommended formation of a “Pesticide Development Authority” to ensure balanced use of chemical fertilisers in the wake of declining agricultural productivity. The 29th report, called “Impact of chemical fertilizers and Pesticides on agriculture and allied sectors in the country”, was tabled in Parliament by the committee. The...