-The Hindustan Times The government plans to put up coal mines for bidding by private steel, power and cement companies and introduce changes in the law to enable commercial mining in the future, signalling its intent to fully open the sector to private players. The new auction-based system will replace the earlier controversial policy of allotting coal blocks based on recommendations of a panel of bureaucrats, which the Supreme Court had struck...

-The New Indian Express IDUKKI: Contamination of water bodies due to excessive use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers in the High Range areas has been constantly causing stress for cardamom farmer and farmer scientist Reji Njallani. This made him develop a method which would prevent the flow of hazardous chemicals into rivers and other water bodies. After years of research, he has found a solution to the problem by developing what...

-The Hindu Kalpetta (Kerala): The Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) is preparing to execute an innovative project, ‘e-Vet connect,' for the farming community in the State. The project envisages providing 24-hour veterinary service to the farming community across the State at just a phone call, says B. Ashok, Vice Chancellor, KVASU. In the first phase, the project will be launched in the Kalpetta, Ollur, and the Thrissur Assembly constituencies by...

-The Business Standard So far, there was a cap on the number of subsidised cylinders alone, not on the subsidy Taking the next step in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) pricing reforms, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has decided to cap the subsidy on domestic gas cylinders. So far, there was a cap on the number of subsidised cylinders alone, not on the subsidy. Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told Business Standard a...

-Tehelka The new and improved Bill to prevent atrocities against Dalits runs the risk of being put in the cold storage A crime against Dalits happens every 18 minutes - three women raped every day, 13 murdered every week, 27 atrocities every day, six kidnapped every week and so on. This is the data compiled by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, an NGO, which paints a grim picture of Indian...