-PTI Agriculture and wetlands in India and the rest of the world should be managed in unison to tackle poverty and conserve ecosystems, says a new report. Around six per cent of the world's landmass is classified as either permanent or seasonal wetland. Millions of people directly depend on them for food, water, and other purposes. Researchers estimate that wetlands are worth around USD 70 billion globally each year. However, these areas also face...

-Outlook   Gujarat government today clarified that it had not issued any new guidelines for identification of Below Poverty Line families, saying it could not take such a step unilaterally without involving the Centre. Reacting to a media report which claimed that the Gujarat government had come up with new criteria for identification of BPL families, the state's Food and Civil Supplies Secretary RP Gupta said that they had merely reiterated the guidelines...

-AFP PARIS: New cases of cancer will rise by half by 2030, reaching 21.6 million per year compared to 14 million in 2012, the UN said on Monday in a global analysis of the scourge. Cancer deaths, meanwhile, will likely rise from 8.2 million to 13 million per year as the world's population grows and ages and more people adopt risky lifestyle habits, said the report compiled by the International Agency for...

-The New Indian Express There are two well-known sayings about statistics. One is that they are like a bikini, for what they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital. Another quote is: lies, damned lies and statistics. Both of them are perhaps applicable to the latest figures released by the Union ministry of health and family welfare, for they show that life expectancy in India has gone up by...

-The Indian Express AAP's 700 litres will create challenges in sewage treatment and groundwater replenishment New Delhi: Twenty four hours after he came to power, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was to resolve the issue of giving the citizens of Delhi free water up to 700 litres per day. Water holds pride of place on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) manifesto, which says that the party is "committed to ensuring that...