-Reuters NEW DELHI: Government's main program to fight child malnutrition has been hit by budget cuts that make it difficult to pay wages of millions of health workers, cabinet minister Maneka Gandhi said on Monday in a rare public criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies. The government in February slashed social sector budgets to boost infrastructure spending in a bid to fasten the pace of economic recovery. States were asked to...

-The Hindu Business Line The entire tea industry in India faces an uncertain future. And young people don’t want to work in tea gardens anymore After a steady run for nearly a decade, the tea industry is now facing tough times. Both, production of gardens in the organised sector and leaf prices are virtually stagnating. And exports no longer hold out much promise. Between January and July this year, all-India production was 553.21...

-IANS New Delhi: In a shocking revelation that could be seen as an indictment of the past governments in Delhi and at the centre, a report of union home ministry has claimed that more than 33,000 homeless people have perished in the national capital since 2004. According to the data released by the zonal integrated police network under the union ministry, 33,518 homeless people died in Delhi between January 2004 and October...

-The Hindu Forced dietary Restriction has no place here. In the current battle for Bihar, caste has emerged as a more potent weapon than religion. There may be some churning among urban youth on caste-based quotas, their stated views depending not just on whether they have benefited from the present system but also on how they wish to be perceived — as pragmatic or forward-looking?. But cutting across the urban-rural divide, slicing through...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government proposes to end exemptions on stock limits of pulses for exporters, food processors and large retailers with multiple outlets, which is being seen as a desperate attempt to deal with the spiraling prices. Sources said it was discussed at a meeting chaired by the cabinet secretary on Friday in the presence of officials of other departments. The cabinet secretariat has asked the consumer affairs...