-Outlook As the Manmohan Singh government makes evident its unfriendliness to villages, the nation hurtles towards disaster. It's a danger no one wants to face. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been trying for years to make us believe that agriculture is a vast marshland in which a huge population is stuck ankle- to neck-deep and it is his duty to rescue them. "Our salvation lies in moving people out of agriculture," he...

-The Indian Express Lucknow: The free laptop distribution scheme of Samajwadi Party government has caught the eye of Microsoft, world's largest software company, which is going to conduct a detailed study on the most populist scheme in UP. Microsoft has engaged Mumbai-based Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) to conduct a study of the scheme and prepare literature on its planning, execution and response of beneficiaries. A team of IMRB will be visiting...

-The Hindu     In spite of the rosy picture painted by the World Bank, the prospect of eliminating extreme poverty remains distant In a protracted period of gloom and persistent recession with feeble signs of recovery in a large part of the developed world, the World Bank, Brookings Institution and others can be forgiven for their euphoria over the accomplishment of a key Millennium Development Goal (MDG) - of halving extreme poverty in...

-The Telegraph The Union health ministry has banned the manufacture and sale of a pain-reliever called dextropropoxyphene (DPPP) amid steadily growing concerns worldwide that this opioid analgesic drug poses several serious health risks, including heart damage. The health ministry, in a drug withdrawal notification, has suspended the manufacture, distribution and sale of all medicines containing DPPP saying the central government has determined that this drug is likely to involve risk to humans...

-The Times of India HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh government has embarked on an ambitious programme of sending 100 tribal students every year to reputed universities around the globe for higher studies. The government will bear the entire expenditure which includes fees and living expenses up to Rs 10 lakh and facilitate a loan for the student from banks if more funds are needed. The programme is available for tribal students who secure admission...