-The Business Standard Demand for products from the 'poor man's cow' is rising exponentially and should be encouraged. A goat is generally potrayed as a "poor man's cow". But that seems to be an understatement. Compared to cows, goats are more hardy, multi-utility, easy-to-maintain and prolific animals that can efficiently convert low-value vegetation, tree leaves and crop residues into high value meat, milk, hide, manure and fibre, including the much sought-after Pashmina...

-Reuters BANGALORE: Inflation likely picked up slightly in July as its falling currency pushed up the price of imports, making raw materials more costly, and on rising food prices, a Reuters poll showed. Wholesale prices, India's key inflation measure, rose an annual 5 percent last month, the poll of 30 economists showed, hitting the ceiling of the Reserve Bank of India's commonly perceived comfort level. That was up slightly up from June's 4.89...

-The Hindu As the operations of organised gangs that seek to make a killing out of the insatiable demand for sand are in focus, environmental concerns posed by indiscriminate mining grow. Nitin Sethi discusses the imperatives. Should India have a river regulatory zone, on the lines of the coastal regulatory zone, to manage development and mining activity? The devastation in Uttarakhand, and the controversy over the sand mafia's control on river beds,...

-The Hindustan Times Chandigarh: Ecological issues have delayed the start of river-bed mining, an idea propagated by Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal with the aim of extracting enough sand not only to meet the growing demand but also to control its skyrocketing rates in the market. The plan may not be implemented immediately as the proposed quarries would require clearance from the state environment impact assessment authority. Also, environmentalists fear...

-NDTV Chennai: Her promise to give away free mixer-grinders and televisions to poor families helped power her election as Chief Minister two years ago. With national elections due in the next few months, Jayalalithaa's giving away a whole lot more. Including mineral water that's named after her. In February, she launched discounted canteens where breakfast idlis can be bought for just a rupee. On Thursday, she launched 31 outlets in...