-PTI Contract labourers working in factories of component suppliers to Maruti Suzuki could bear the brunt of the lockout at the Manesar plant of India's largest carmaker. Working on wafer thin margins amid stiff competition, many of the component suppliers which have been already feeling the heat due to an overall slowdown in the automotive market, are considering to reduce their workforce. "If there is prolonged lockout at Maruti's Manesar plant, there is no...

-Business Today "I want it back," says Sharada Begum. The 67-year-old woman is a member of one of the 100 households of Raghubir Nagar, a resettlement colony in west Delhi, chosen to participate in a pilot scheme that aimed to turn the public distribution system (PDS) on its head. Through all of 2011, these households had Rs 1,000 transferred every month to a woman member's bank account in lieu of rice, wheat,...

-The Hindu The Centre has asked the Supreme Court to allow the use of pesticide endosulfan in all States except Kerala and Karnataka, as these States are ready to use it for agricultural pest control. The Supreme Court in May last year banned the production and sale of endolsulfan in the country. In April this year, it asked the Centre to ascertain the quantity of raw material lying with three companies (producers...

-The Indian Express The government on Friday said the spectre of drought over a few states and the likelihood of a lower rainfall pattern this year should not be a concern for a “panicky situation” as it is geared up to face the situation with enough stocks of foodgrains and sugar. Last year the production of both foodgrains and sugar had overshot the estimate leaving the government with adequate resources for the...

-The Hindu The Planning Commission’s perspective on universal health care causes concern Current deliberations in the Planning Commission about actualizing universal health care in the Twelfth Five Year Plan, have invited concerns. There has been a marked thrust on state-funded insurance as opposed to a genuine effort on the government’s part to rebuild public health systems, something that has been a globally time-tested system to ensure health for all. The ongoing discussions are...