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At a time when vegetarianism is getting fast popularity world-wide, it is shocking Congress led Chhatisgarh government is forcing school-children to non-vegetarianism by inducing eggs in mid-deal meal programme for school-children. India is the only country in the world where vegetarianism is integral part of culture and religion. Even many restaurants observe non-vegetarianism twice a year for ten days in Navratras. Many non-vegetarian persons adopt vegetarianism during Navratras and Tuesdays as religious requirement. Under the circumstances, at least non-vegetarianism must not be allowed in government-sponsored schemes like mid-day meal programme.   MADHU AGRAWAL

It refers to unholy political drama once again erupted in Karnataka where again huge money is being spent on saving or uprooting state-government by taking MLAs in hiding in costly resorts far away from the state. Evidently such heavy spent of money for political games is to be recovered indirectly from public through bribes and corruption involving those seated at high posts of legislature. There must be a mechanism to permanently end such nuisance. Chief Ministers should be elected by secret and compulsory votes of all MLAs through EVMs on nominations filed by at least 34-percent MLAs. Members not participating in such election may lose voting-right in state-assembly though retaining membership. Any such elected Chief Minister may only be removed by same process but with compulsion of...

Latest data released by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shows a sharp decline in small savings in first eight months of financial year 2017-18 when small savings schemes amounted to just rupees 40,429 crore, a seven-fold dip from Rs 2,75,682 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. Evidently it is at cost of more investment in mutual-fund schemes where political and other factors can suddenly harm the investors like happened in investment in properties. A sharp decline in interest-rate was anticipated post-demonetisation when Jeevan Akshay pension-plan of LIC of India for the reason witnessed maximum investment in that period. But with currency-circulation crossing what it was before demonetisation, reduced interest-rate in government savings-schemes should be restored with t...

It is quite often that judgements by benches including Division and larger ones at Supreme Court are kept reserved for several months. System should be that various benches of Supreme Court may compulsorily announce judgements in a time-bound period of say within three months after last date of hearing or before retirement of any bench-member having heard the case. Delayed judgements after competition of hearing add fuel to fire of notorious aspect -Justice Delayed is Justice Denied. At times, such delayed judgements result in costly and time-consuming re-hearings in case any of the bench-member retires from the post. Supreme Court website must have a link providing list of reserved judgements clearly mentioning last date of proceedings in the case. Since supreme Court has several long vac...

Contamination of salad vegetables by E.coli and Salmonella bacteria are the most common causes of food poisoning. Although most Salmonella outbreaks are linked to contamination during handling and transportation of the vegetables, there are also cases where the infectious bacterium had entered the plant when it was still in the farmland. How does it enter the plant? So far, the mechanism was not known. A new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bengaluru, has solved the mystery. They have found that unlike other disease-causing bacteria that enter the root, fruit or leaf by producing enzymes to break down the plant’s cell wall, Salmonella sneaks in through a tiny gap created when a lateral root branches out...