-Press Information Bureau Preliminary Transcript of the Q&A portion of the Prime Minister's Press Conference at the National Media Centre, New Delhi Q: After the Assembly elections, much churning is going on in the UPA. Do you think the Congress should now announce its PM candidate? PM: The Congress President has already answered that question. We will announce our candidate for the Prime Ministership at the appropriate time. Q: On corruption issues which have...

-The Telegraph Guwahati: A national study on drug abuse among children has found Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram having the highest percentage of heroin, inhalants and injectable drug users respectively. The study, conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, New Delhi, in 27 states and two Union territories, found that 88.6 per cent children drug users interviewed in Mizoram used injectable drugs while 68.3 per...

-The Hindu Chennai (Tamil Nadu): Seven lakh pensioners and family pensioners of the State government will be brought under the fold of a new health insurance scheme. To be operated on the lines of an insurance scheme for serving government officials and the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, the proposed scheme would operate on a cashless basis and it would be made compulsory to all the pensioners (including spouse) / family...

-The Hindu Apprehensions of various sections must be allayed: M.S. Swaminathan UDHAGAMANDALAM (Tamil Nadu): In matters relating to genetically modified (GM) food crops, the government should ‘hasten cautiously,' said eminent agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan. He was speaking on the sidelines of a visit to the Wheat Breeding Research Station of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) at Wellington, near here, on Tuesday. When asked about differences within the government over conducting field trials of GM...

-The Hindu THANJAVUR (Tamil Nadu): G. Nammalvar (75), organic farming scientist and crusader, died at Pichinikadu village near Pattukottai on Monday night. Born at Elankadu village near Thiruvaiyaru in 1938, he graduated in agriculture from Annamamalai University. In 1963, he joined as an officer in the Agricultural Regional Research Centre, Kovilpatti. Later he served as an agronomist in Island Peace, an organisation founded by Nobel Laureate R.P. Dominic Pyre. All his life, he...