The government on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that as many as 67 underground fires have been raging in the Jharia coalfields in Jharkhand for several decades, affecting 98,000 families. At the time of nationalisation of coal mines in the 1970s, 70 fires were raging in the area that came under Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL). Of these, 10 were put out but seven new fires started, minister of state for coal Santosh Bagrodia said while replying to supplementaries during question Hour.

With India looking forward to having good relations with the democratically elected Maoists in Nepal, New Delhi on Wednesday made it clear that there was no specific evidence to indicate any nexus between naxals of both the countries. Though India had stated this on earlier occasions as well, the statement

Step into Jharkahnd's Tentoposi village in Seraikela district and you will be greeted with hostile glances. Sitting on rich mineral reserves of iron ore, residents of this village are constantly

The Jharkhand police is going hi-tech. It will install video cameras for surveillance in the Parasnath Hills, where an operation, carried out in coordination with the Central Reserve Police Force,

The Government of Jharkhand has taken several leading initiatives in order to attract industrial investment in the State. These policies have graphed a framework for accelerating development and envisage a set of incentives and schemes, with the Government creating the right kind of business climate by removing the roadblocks and thereby enhancing the inflow of capital.

As India unthinkingly denudes its own forest base, it's almost as if it clears the ground for a bout between 'doers' and 'sceptics'. A third of the country covered with trees by 2012 sounds like a comforting prospect. But the government lacks the resources to meet this stated goal.

With abysmal levels of penetration and awareness, how do you sell the concept of health insurance to the rural poor?

The model for kala azar eradication is a cross-sectoral public-private partnership, writes Kavita Khanna in the second of a two-part series Globally, kala azar is the second largest parasitic killer after malaria. In India, Bihar is the epicentre of kala azar, home to, as per the state Kala Azar Task Force, over 1,00,000 patients. Kala azar is eminently preventable and curable. The parasite that transmits the disease is the sandfly. An extensive and effective vector control programme can go a long way in preventing transmission of the disease.

After months of politics and bureaucratic wrangling with various state governments, the Union HRD Ministry has finally selected the states which will get new IITs and IIMs.