-The Business Standard Says it ensured more inclusive growth here, with better paying jobs, compared to NDA govt's record The perception that more jobs were created during the 1998-2004 National Democratic Alliance government than that of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) isn't based on facts, said Jairam Ramesh, the minister for rural development. From projections based on a National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) study, 60 million jobs were created between 1999-2000 and...

-The United Nations Air pollution - both indoor and outdoor - killed some 7 million people across the globe in 2012, making it the world's largest single environmental health risk, according to new figures released today by the UN World Health Organization (WHO). "The risks from air pollution are now far greater than previously thought or understood, particularly for heart disease and strokes," said Maria Neira, Director of WHO's Department for Public...

-The Indian Express Raised budgets are no guarantee of improved healthcare. With a new government in the offing, all suggested agendas for health are talking of an increase in health budgets and the fact that at 1 per cent of the GDP, government spending on public health in India is one of the lowest in the world; the rest is out of pocket expenditure. The US is a prime example of the...

-The United Nations The United Nations agricultural agency today launched a new database which gathers under one roof previously scattered information about land cover - how much land is covered by croplands, trees, forests, or bare soils - crucial to establishing a good global understanding of the physical characteristics of the Earth's surface. "A strong understanding of our planet's land cover is essential to promoting sustainable land resources management - including agricultural...

-Live Mint Panel to review Sachar committee proposals says conditions of Muslims not changed perceptibly since 2006 New Delhi: In a politically uncomfortable revelation ahead of the general election, the interim report of a high-level panel says that a determined policy thrust by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has done little to improve the social and economic enfranchisement of India's Muslim minority. The interim report of the panel appointed by...