-The Hindu All districts, except Chennai, declared drought-hit; work days under MGNREGS increased to 150 Chennai: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced in the Assembly on Friday that all districts in the State other than Chennai would be declared drought-hit and unveiled a host of relief measures that would cost about Rs. 2,143.60 crore, focussing on the crisis-ridden Cauvery delta. Ms. Jayalalithaa said the number of days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural...

-The Times of India It appears to be one step forward and two steps back for the government in so far as pruning of fuel subsidy bill is concerned. The latest example is the oil ministry's order asking state-run fuel retailers to supply cooking gas cylinders at subsidized rate to non-domestic consumers such as canteens, medical institutions and mid-day meal kitchens. The order on cooking gas, issued on Tuesday, comes close on...

-The Indian Express Patna: Upset over frequent reports of tension and clash between students belonging to different castes, the Bihar government plans to dismantle its SC/ ST, OBC and minority hostels in a phased manner. On January 29, more than 25 students of the Saidpur hostel under Patna University attacked students of Bhimrao Ambedkar Welfare hostel. The clash resulted in three students getting injured. The Welfare hostel, run by the SC/ST Welfare...

-Live Mint Proposal aimed at beefing up security, besides making sure development reaches neglected parts of India A day after the government pledged the partial decontrol of sugar in the next fortnight, the Union cabinet on Thursday approved a set of significant measures aimed at tackling Maoist insurgency and asserting its strategic hold over an area claimed by neighbouring China.   The measures approved involve upgrading rural road connectivity with special emphasis on...

-Express India Lucknow: An RTI activist, who was also the headmaster in a government primary school, was shot dead by unidentified men in Mohammadabad police station area of Farrukhabad district on Thursday. The victim, Anand Prakash Rajput (42), had used RTI to get information which he used to get three teachers dismissed from service for getting jobs on the basis of forged documents and the process of dismissal of three other teachers...