-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The NITI Aayog will draw up schedules for key social sector programmes to counter the criticism that implementation has been slow even two years after the Narendra Modi government took over. The Aayog's Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant made several outcome-based presentations to the Prime Minister last month on sectors such as education, health, rural development and infrastructure. Timelines have been established to achieve progress in areas...

-The Hindu Structural reforms and improving productive capacity can enhance long-term growth NITI Aayog, the government’s policy think tank, is working on a sector-based medium-term PLAnning framework, Union Finance Secretary Ratan P. Watal told a meeting of state finance secretaries on Monday. The new PLAnning framework could rePLAce five-year PLAns, the last of which is set to end in 2016—17, Mr. Watal said. It was possible to synchronise with the finance commission cycle,...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Farmers in UP's Bundelkhand region will get drought assistance directly into their bank accounts within a week, with the Samajwadi party government set to disburse Rs 1,304 crore out of its drought-assistance kitty given to it by the Centre. The decision was taken during a review meeting on the drought-affected Bundelkhand region by the Prime Minister's Office on Saturday. A provision to extend man-days from 100...

-The Hindu Seventy of the 170 public wells identified have been dredged and cleaned Bidar (Karnataka): The district administration has started a project to preserve old open wells in public PLAces in order to push up the aquifer and protect the ancient legacy of water management. The severe drought conditions of the year have pushed the officials to clean the wells, some of which are around 500 years old. Many of them were...

-PTI The National Green Tribunal has appointed a local commissioner to inspect the premises of beverages major Coca Cola's Hapur PLAnt in Uttar Pradesh and probe whether it was discharging effluents into a nearby pond. The green panel directed Coca-Cola to pay Rs 20,000 as fees to the court commissioner and asked him to videograph the work done, and file his report. "Considering the gravity of the allegations, made against each other and...