-CNN-IBN   The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted more raids in Uttar Pradesh and filed four new FIRs in the National rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam. Thirty teams of CBI raided health department officials and firms that supplied medicines and other material. CBI conducted search operations across 22 districts in UP in cities including Lucknow, Deoria, Basti, and Bahraich. ...

-The Business Standard   A Nandan Nilekani-led task force on an Aadhaar-enabled unified payment infrastructure has recommended setting up a network of one million interoperable micro-ATMs across the country. The ATMs will be operated by business correspondents. The task force, headed by the Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India, submitted its report to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday. The panel has suggested that in order to set-up this network quickly, a last-mile transaction...

-The Times of India   In what is a first in Andhra Pradesh, 101 workers in Medak district have been awarded unemployment allowance to the tune of Rs 2 lakh for having been denied work under the Mahatma Gandhi National rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The award is being seen as an assertion of wage earners' rights under the Act as this is the first time that they have earned compensation for not...

-The Economic Times   An expert group has recommended adding 30 agricultural and allied works under the Centre's flagship rural job guarantee scheme, in a revamp aimed at making the country's costliest social sector programme more effective.  As part of the overhaul of the Mahatma Gandhi National rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the panel has also suggested an electronic fund management system to ensure timely transfer of money to needy districts.  The recommendations of...

Signalling its commitment to roll out the Food Security Bill in the next fiscal, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to announce a token allocation of Rs. 5,000 crore in the forthcoming budget. The funds would primarily be directed at creating and strengthening the institutional arrangement to deliver the massive allotment promised under the scheme. The food security bill is of extreme political importance to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)...