-The Hindu     Deep-rooted caste biases and the brazen disregard by civic authorities of court judgments are the main reason for the frequent deaths of sewerage workers across the country Earlier this month, a group of men set forth to unblock a drain sewer in the basement of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in Delhi. Two of the men, Ashok and Chhotu, entered the sewer but did not return....

-The Hindu Groundwater meets three quarters of the State's farming needs The Punjab State Farmers Commission recently published a draft new agriculture policy for the State that envisages substantial crop diversification from paddy and wheat staples that the State has been growing since the sixties. The draft policy, currently being debated in agriculture circles, is the first serious road map to steer Punjab's agriculture towards a new dynamic, necessitated by a sharp...

-The Indian Express Why are we reticent about using techno-industrial solutions to reduce malnutrition? The death of several children from consuming a toxic midday meal in Bihar evoked a great sense of outrage. But this outrage will, in all probability, soon die down. Yet, this tragedy, as many reports show, is the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it lies unseen a story of poor service delivery and a lack of commitment. India...

-The Telegraph Ranchi district has an e-governance milestone that MGNREGS policymakers in the rest of India can emulate. According to officials, Ranchi has become the state's first district to pay MGNREGS beneficiaries through electronic fund management system (e-fms) in all its 18 blocks. The district, which bagged two prestigious e-governance awards in the course of a month, has again convincingly proved its mettle in an area that has proved to be the most...

-The Telegraph The Centre today submitted in the Supreme Court a "draft model rule" to restrict sale and purchase of acid in the country following the rising number of attacks on women by criminal elements and jilted lovers. Under the draft rules, the sale of acid will be restricted to industrial use, battery dealers, school/college chemical labs and hospitals. It will be obligatory for all buyers to furnish their photo identity and...