The Vidarbha region of Maharashtra which has gained notoriety for its farm suicides, is also reporting a high incidence of child deaths. Data compiled under the Right to Information (RTI) Act shows that in Yavatmal district alone 565 children below five died due to various causes between January and September 2011. In addition, the district reported 489 still births for the same period.

Yavatmal is second only to Amravati district which reported 910 child deaths between January and September 2011 and 516 still births. Bandu Sane, activist from the NGO KHOJ in Melghat, sought information on child deaths in Vidarbha under RTI.

The growing demand for power generation equipment in view of growing number of power projects in Vidarbha has led Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to acquire 200 acres for a proposed Rs 1,000-crore fabrication unit near Sakoli in Bhandara district. BHEL is in the process of acquiring the land, stated by K S Mathur, Head, Power Sector, Western Division of BHEL, at a press conference here on Friday.

The ongoing construction of a canal is threatening a sprawling wildlife corridor spread over Chandrapur and Bhandara districts in eastern Maharashtra, the forest department officials have said.

The department, rattled over the recent incidents of tiger attacks on humans, deaths of a couple of leopards, fears possible breach of wildlife corridor between Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), Prote

the Maharashtra State Information Commission has slapped two top forest officials with a fine of Rs 25,000 for withholding information, sought under the Right To Information (rti) Act, for over a year. At a hearing on July 4, 2008, rti Commissioner Vilas Patil asked the officials

In September 2003, the Sanjay Deotale Committee conducted extensive research in rural hospitals in the high lathyrus consumption districts of Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli, and found that they had not received any lathyrus patient in the last five years. Doctors from National Institute of Nutrition who were part of the committee did not join the research team.