-The Times of India BHUBANESWAR: Water levels in all major rivers in the state fell on Saturday, raising hopes of respite from the trail of misery that began exactly two weeks ago on October 12 when cyclone Phailin hit coastal Odisha. In the latest floods that have hit the state, seven more died on Saturday, taking the toll to 17 over the past three days. Two deaths each were reported from Bhadrak,...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Panchayat officials often fob off people seeking work under the rural job guarantee scheme, keeping the programme's implementation poor in states such as Bengal and Assam, the Centre believes. Delhi has now asked the states to get their gram panchayat offices to organise a Rozgar Diwas (Employment Day) at every ward every month, where work applications will be submitted and recorded at a public meeting. Such gatherings will...

-Live Mint Not only have Bihar and Odisha grown faster they have also ensured that benefits accrue to the poorest; in Gujarat, growth has bypassed the poor Going by logic, the poor in richer states should be better off than their counterparts living in poorer states. This is especially so when the country is seeing a welcome trend: Income growth in rural areas and poverty reduction has witnessed unprecedented acceleration. Not necessarily. Not...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Even as the Centre on Wednesday stepped in to import onion from China and Pakistan in a bid to cool down prices of the staple, Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar warned that the crisis may continue for another two to three weeks. "Next two to three weeks will be tough. Ultimately, we have to find a solution. We have to import as early as possible," Pawar...

-The Business Standard A Supreme Court interim order says it should not, but the issues involved may not be quite so clear cut Even as the Supreme Court sits to hear arguments on the applicability of the unique identification number, popularly known as Aadhaar, the debate around the unique identification number has already shifted from its success or reach to whether it should be mandatory. In an interim order, the apex court...