-The New Indian Express SAMBALPUR: Protesting the linking of Aadhaar number to bank accounts for procurement of paddy in the ensuing kharif marketing season, thousands of farmers under the banner of Paschim Odisha Krushak Sangathan Samanwaya Samiti (POKSSS) staged a demonstration in front of the office of Revenue Divisional Commissioner (North) here on Thursday. Their other demands include disbursal of drought assistance of `100 per quintal of paddy, input subsidy, insurance claims...

-IndiaSpend.com It was raining heavily last monsoon when Heerabai’s youngest child, Seshkumari, 4, collapsed with a fever. The family could only watch helplessly as her temperature soared and she turned delirious late night. The nearest primary health centre for Pachkol, Heerabai’s village in Chhindwara district in south-west Madhya Pradesh, is 25 km away. And every monsoon, the swollen Bhagbhel river floods the road linking the village to the health centre. If you...

-The Indian Express An enduring solution to India’s water woes lies in buffer stocking during monsoon months and release during lean seasons. Till June end this year, the government was worried about how to cope with back-to-back drought. But by the second half of August, the scene changed dramatically and several states were in the spate of floods. In Bihar, more than five million people have been affected and 6,50,000 displaced from...

-The Hindu Chief medical officers of 72 districts colluded with politicians and contractors in swindling funds meant for poor patients; the CBI has filed 82 cases so far Investigations into the Rs. 9,000-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in Uttar Pradesh have led to the arrest of 149 persons, with the Central Bureau of Investigation arraigning 350 people as accused in 82 cases of corruption, cheating, forgery and conspiracy registered so...

-The Times of India BHOPAL: Farmers in Rewa district, who paid insurance premium for their crops, are running from pillar to post after suffering damages because there is no provision of seeking claim against loss on account of drought. "I paid Rs. 2,667 to Agriculture insurance Company of India Limited against crop insurance on July 9. I went for soybean cultivation on majority of the four hectares of land with some parts...