-Outlook In his maiden visit to Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh, President Pranab Mukherjee today praised the "young state" for its all-round development. Asserting that Chhattisgarh has a rich legacy of one of the oldest panchayati raj systems, he said it has emerged as one of the fastest developing states in the country. "This young state has registered all round development on many fronts and made its presence felt at the national level," he said in...

-The Economic Times AHMEDABAD: Wheat output may remain stable this season due to remunerative prices and sufficient water availability. However, agriculture officials feel that the delay in announcing wheat MSP for rabi season might deter farmers. "We don't see a drop in wheat acreage this year and the production should clock similar to that of previous year's 93.90 million tonne. It will be too early to say that the area will increase...

-The Times of India Private companies have hijacked the government's flagship scheme to provide food to poor children and their mothers, the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), with contractors in Maharashtra alone controlling Rs 1,000 crore worth of supplies in contravention of Supreme Court orders, a report of the SC commissioners office has said. The SC orders bar contractors from supplying rations under the scheme. It only permits village communities, self-help groups...

42 families from Birpur village of Satna district in northern Madhya Pradesh are on a protest since the beginning of the month, to draw attention to the siphoning of their PDS foodgrain. Additionally, through an online petition put by a local activist group, the families are demanding that K.K. Khare, Satna’s District Collector use his powers to crack down on the months-long corruption and resume their supply of ration entitlements....

-The Hindu Cyclone ‘Nilam' caused unprecedented damage to Srikakulam district which is still under grip of fear with the heavy inflows to Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers. Bahuda and Mahendra Tanaya rivers are also in full spate with heavy rains in the catchment area of Odisha. Almost 80, 000 acres of crop got damaged and 43 villages were inundated in the district. The officials of all the mandals have been alerted to...