-The Hindu NIN centenary year fete begins with release of report on urban health Hyderabad: One-sixth of India’s adult male population smokes tobacco while nearly a third consumes alcohol, suggest latest findings from the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). The city-based national-level institute kick-started its centenary year on Tuesday with release of a report on urban health. During Tuesday’s Foundation Day gathering, the institute felicitated its former directors, including some of the first scientists...

-PTI After demonetisation last November, the Narendra Modi government has pushed banks into deploying millions of points-of-sale (PoS) machines to encourage online payments Mumbai: The government’s digital payments push, mainly online card payments through point-of-sale (PoS) machines, may leave already capital starved banks bleed by a whopping Rs3,800 crore annually, warns a report. After demonetisation last November, the Narendra Modi government has pushed banks into deploying millions of points-of-sale (PoS) machines to encourage...

-Livemint.com According to a senior BJP minister, a preliminary probe by the Maharashtra government identified these ‘bank accounts without a credible Credit history’ Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has spotted nearly 1.5 million suspicious bank accounts it suspects were created merely to grab the benefits of its Rs34,022 crore farm loan waiver. According to a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister who is also a member of the ministerial group on farm loan waiver,...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today constituted an economic advisory council, shedding a three-year policy of relying on loose-knit groups and reviving a formal set-up that had helped Manmohan Singh navigate the global downturn a decade ago. The "course correction" by Modi is being linked to the grim news on the economic front largely in the wake of demonetisation and teething troubles in the implementation of the GST. The council...

-Livemint.com India’s new industrial policy is an opportunity to address the problems of low R&D spending and tough competition from cheap Chinese imports The framing of the new industrial policy should be seen as an opportunity to chart a meaningful path for industry’s role in India’s development. The recently released discussion paper by the department of industrial policy and promotion mentions two points that need to be examined closely to grasp the...