-The Hindu Other important promises that could touch, and likely improve, the lives of millions rarely make headlines Disparaging references to “freebies” are a popular trope of media coverage of elections in Tamil Nadu. This Assembly election is no different: free data, free tabs, free washing machines were in the news as political parties released their election manifestos. Electoral promises serve as a road map for elected governments and deserve greater scrutiny....

-The Hindu Labourers from West Bengal, Assam have gone home to exercise their franchise Kochi: Kabir Ahmad (name changed), a migrant worker in Perumbavoor, had to spend a small fortune on a flight ticket to return home to Hojai district of Assam last month following his parents’ anguished plea to get back in time for voting. Their desperation was borne out of the perceived danger posed to the community by the National...

-The Hindu Make the process for procurement of wheat offline in current season, says Jaipur . JAIPUR: The Centre has praised the achievements of Rajasthan in the implementation of “one nation, one ration card” scheme to enable the migrant workers and their family members access the benefits of PDS from anywhere. Rajasthan is the 12th State to successfully undertake the reform. Union Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey, who was on a visit to the...

-The Hindu It’s the centenary year of amateur radio in the country Some collect stamps. Some coins. Many take to painting or gardening or making handicrafts. There are hundreds of hobbies that are pursued just for enjoyment. Amateur radio, or Ham as it is otherwise called, is a unique hobby. A big attraction is that it allows you to communicate from anywhere: from the top of a mountain or from home, or even...

-The Hindu PM chairs meeting; number of new cases crosses 1 lakh. The Russia-made Sputnik V vaccine may be cleared for emergency use in India within 10 days, a highly placed official confirmed to The Hindu on condition of anonymity. The possible approval for a third vaccine candidate comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Sunday to review the situation and the on-going vaccination programme with the number of...