-The Hindu Government sources told The Hindu that at PDS packaging centres, new unbranded bags were being replaced with used ones. Jute bags meant for packaging of foodgrains under the Public Distribution System (PDS) allegedly provided their manufacturers — in league with some officials of procuring State government agencies, quality insurance inspectors and middlemen — an opportunity to siphon off thousands of crores in government revenue. So serious is the scam that the...

-The Indian Express Slaughter of the cow and its progeny is banned in most of India; the consumption of their meat is also largely prohibited. States where cow slaughter is legal: Kerala No restrictions. West Bengal No restrictions. Other Northeast No ban in Arunachal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim. In Manipur, Maharaja in 1939 decreed prosecution for cow slaughter, but beef consumed widely. States where cow slaughter is banned: Andhra Pradesh & Telangana Slaughter of cows, calves prohibited. Bulls, bullocks...

-The Indian Express The recently-released India Rural Development Report, which is endorsed by the government, says 7% of the rural population is ‘very poor’; villages in eastern Indian states are the worst affected. A World Bank report released this week has proposed a new way to measure poverty, which suggests that India may have been overestimating the number of its poor. According to a separate set of figures and analysis endorsed by...

-PTI Delhi has reported 504 cases of dengue in the last five days, taking the number of patients hit by the mosquito-borne viral disease to 6,486, the highest since 1996. Data released on Thursday by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which tracks the infection the symptoms of which include high fever and aching joints, shows 25 people died of dengue this season. Records of major hospitals, however, put the number of dead...

-The Hindu Chennai: Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar said the State stood first in the country with respect to harvest of organs. With seven years’ of experience in organ and transplant programme, the State is now looking to better its achievement by actively involving more government hospitals. At present only a handful of government hospitals across the State perform transplant surgeries, whereas the contribution by private hospitals has been significant. Releasing the annual report...