-The Hindu For the fourth time in the past 11 years, India is heading for a ‘meteorological’ drought India is heading for a drought, in meteorological terms, for the fourth time in the past 11 years. The previous droughts during this period were in 2002, 2004 and 2009. A meteorological drought, in the sense that atmospheric scientists typically use the term, occurs when a monsoon ends with nationwide rainfall during the season falling...

-The Telegraph Jhargram: A farmer who had accused chief minister Mamata Banerjee of making false promises to Jungle Mahal’s Poor at her Wednesday rally was picked up a second time on Friday night and slapped with non-bailable charges. Forty-something Shiladitya Chowdhury, who owns a one-bigha plot, has been charged with assaulting and injuring government officials three days after the police apparently let him go because they could find no evidence that he...

-The Telegraph The CPM today disclosed that levy collected from party members plus small, voluntary contributions had swelled its coffers but denied it was a big beneficiary of corporate donations. “The CPI(M) does not accept donations from corporates. However, there have been contributions from some companies in Andhra Pradesh. These donations, when it came to the notice of the politburo last year, was discussed and it was decided not to accept donations...

-DNA The high court, on Thursday, issued notices to the special officer and undersecretary to the education department over the income ceiling for free seats in schools for Poor students under Right to Education Act (RTE). Petitioner K Nagesh and two others had challenged the RTE rule of fixing the maximum income ceiling at `30,000 per month for getting free seats for general category students ofeconomically weaker sections. In their petition, the three...

-The Times of India It's raining sops for the Poor. The government is making treatment of people below the poverty line suffering from mental disorders and diabetes free at government or public super speciality hospitals like AIIMS. Yesterday, TOI had reported the government's plan to gift cell phones to the Poor. In the maiden endorsement of India's swelling burden of patients suffering from mental disorders, the ministry has included it under the Rashtriya...