-PTI NEW DELHI: Reaching out to youths in Naxal-hit areas, Centre on Friday launched a placement linked skill development scheme targeting 50,000 rural men and women, mostly tribals, in 24 worst affected districts. Initiating the programme called "Roshni", rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said at least 50 per cent of the candidates covered under the scheme will be women and special efforts will be made to proactively cover particularly vulnerable tribal groups...

-PTI After the exit of Aruna Roy, government has reconstituted the National Advisory Council by inducting renowned sociologist Virginius Xaxa into the 12-member panel chaired by Sonia Gandhi. The term of the panel, which has been giving legislative and policy inputs to the government ranging from the seminal rural jobs scheme to the latest food security bill, has been made co-terminus with the term of the present government. Xaxa, the new member...

-The Indian Express Digitisation of land records is a big step forward. Now to start guaranteeing titles While landlords across the country, several million of whom prefer to keep their houses locked up instead of renting them out, will cheer the cabinet clearance for the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, the even bigger change relates to the digitisation of land records. The real estate bill allows for the setting up of...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Congress leadership remains undecided on the ordinance route for National Food Security Bill, with the Cabinet meeting yet to be slated for Friday. Sources said the party is yet to configure how to handle some of its reluctant allies as well as the opposition while contending with the fact that the bill could take anything between 6-9 months before the benefits finally roll out to...

-The Hindu     The promise of near-universal coverage is now nowhere in sight. And the UPA's seemingly fretful efforts to get the measure through do not appear to be convincing The nation is watching with trepidation the play of politics over the National Food Security Bill, which envisages food security for 67 per cent of the population by providing 5 kg of rice, wheat or coarse cereals per person per month at subsidised...