-IANS   Bihar's literacy rate may be the lowest in the country at 63.8 percent, but it could achieve total literacy in about two decades like the Rest of India, predicts a new report. During the past decade, the literacy rate in Bihar has increased by 17 percent, much faster compared to nine percent for the entire country, the report points out. "If Bihar is able to maintain its present momentum in educational...

-PTI   Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who will complete the last stretch of his padyatra today, has said that he has learnt more from the farmers than the time he has spent as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha. Interacting with farmers at Devaka village, Gandhi said: "When we sit in Delhi or Lucknow, we don't get to know ground realities. I have not learnt as much in Lok Sabha...

-The Telegraph   The Mamata Banerjee government has kickstarted a process to hold talks with Maoists without mentioning conditions but acknowledged the responsibilities of governance by adding that central forces will remain until Jungle Mahal is cleansed of arms. The initiative also sought to address a fundamental issue often overlooked by the security and political establishments: the chief minister gave an assurance that the villagers will retain the right to foRest resources so...

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has formally sent the proposed National Food Security bill to the government on behalf of theNational Advisory Council (NAC) that she chairs. Setting all doubts at Rest about where she stands, the bill explicitly seeks that the subsidized rations be provided to at least 90% of rural population, and 50% of urban India. It urges the government to ensure that at least 46% and 28% of...

FoRest Bench issues guidelines for future clearances The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the French cement company Lafarge to mine limestone in the foRests of the East Khasi hills in Meghalaya. The FoRest Bench, comprising Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justices Aftab Alam and K.S. Radhakrishnan, accepted the contentions of the Lafarge to mine in the foRests of Meghalaya and that it had obtained necessary clearances. Writing the judgment, the CJI said: “In...