-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: For the beleaguered UPA government, here are some words of praise. The flagship rural employment guarantee scheme has comes in for praise from the World Bank, five years after it described the programme as "policy barrier" to economic development and poverty alleviation. The World Development Report 2014 has described the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act as a "stellar example of rural development". At the heart...

-The United Nations Some 3.5 billion people, half the world's population, lack crucial waste management services, significantly harming environment, health and economies, the United Nations reported today, stressing that recycling and proper treatment can be a literal and metaphorical gold mine. "Open dumping, the most prevalent waste disposal method in many countries, can lead to acute health impacts for those living closest to dumping sites, most often the urban poor," the UN...

-The Hindu The Supreme Court's latest order on Aadhaar card seems to have little bearing on the ongoing enrolment in the National Population Register (NPR). The reason is simple: it has no link with entitlements. The Supreme Court's latest order on Aadhaar card seems to have little bearing on the ongoing enrolment in the National Population Register (NPR). The reason is simple: it has no link with entitlements. Also, it is business as-usual...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: Over a third of the slum population in India lives without any basic facility being provided by the state as the slums are not recognized. In the case of some states like Rajasthan, Gujarat and Bihar, the entire slum population of several lakhs remains unrecognized by the state governments. For the first time, the census data on slums identified slum dwellers as the people living in compact...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Over six lakh people could die if an earthquake of the intensity like the one that devastated Shillong in 1897 were to strike the Northeast today, says a preliminary study by the National Disaster Management Authority. These findings have prompted the NDMA to undertake a project, including a mega mock drill on how state and non-state agencies in the Northeast would respond in such a scenario. The NDMA had...