In the gathering gloom of slowing growth and political drift, comes some good news to brighten up the festival season. The latest Human Development Report, released today, shows that “inclusive growth” — the mantra of the entire political establishment — may not be just a mere slogan. Socially and economically weaker sections, like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Muslims, are finally catching up with the rest of the country on important...

-The Assam Tribune   Finding the going uphill in their bid to sell their produce for good economic returns, raw jute farmers from different parts of South Kamrup area are facing acute crisis. Too poor to afford the input costs, the marginal farmers who practice the cultivation on a massive scale in thousands of bighas of land here at Jiakur 1 Bortari, Kandalpara Cimina, Futuri Goroimari Alikash under Palashbari and Chhaygaon LAC...

-The Telegraph   The Centre has decided to take the help of the church to minimise the use of tobacco in Mizoram, after it was found that the state was home to the highest number of tobacco users in the country. The chief medical officer of the directorate-general of health services, Jagdish Kaur, revealed this here today during the release of the northeastern region’s factsheet of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey at NEDFi...

Every eighth urban child in India in the age-group of 0-6 years stays in slums, according to ‘Slums in India – A statistical compendium 2011' published by the Union government. “... about 7.6 million children are living in slums in India and they constitute 13.1 per cent of the total child population of the urban areas of the 26 States/ Union Territories reporting slums,” the report compiled by the National Buildings...

-The Hindustan Times   As protesters blocked entry points to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu for the third day in a row, the troubles of the 1,000 families trapped inside the complex deepened with water, milk and other essential supplies beginning to run out. Although V Narayanasamy, minister of state in the prime minister's office, said the government would not abandon the project, one of the officials trapped inside...