-The Telegraph New Delhi: Rural Development minister Jairam Ramesh today asked every state to "follow" the Bihar model of linking housing benefits to toilets as a possible solution to the chronic problem of poor sanitation in Indian villages. The Union minister's praise, weeks after he had accused Narendra Modi of being a copycat toilet crusader, appeared to be aimed at giving a leg-up to chief minister Nitish Kumar, a potential ally for...

-The Economic Times KOLKATA: Eastern and North Eastern states, which grapple with acute storage deficit, will get a priority in fund allocation for setting up warehouses, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard ) said. States with food deficits like Jammu and Kashmir will also receive a priority treatment. The government has directed Nabard to treat these states favourably to cut farm losses amid implementation of the world's biggest population feeding...

-The Hindu As the country develops economically, its double burden of malnutrition and its health implications will increasingly affect women and those who are socio-economically weak India has one of the highest burdens of underweight women in the world, with rising obesity levels. Using the World Health Organisation classification based on body mass index, or BMI (the ratio of the weight of the body in kilograms to the square of its height...

-The Hindu BJP Chief Minister Raman Singh is the face of the reformed public distribution system in Chhattisgarh and indeed, he is still banking on it for a third consecutive term despite the anti-incumbency factor against several MLAs and a few ministers in his council. In his recent vikas yatra, he showcased development and focussed on the path-breaking Public Distribution System (PDS) reforms that were dovetailed into the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act...

-PTI Mining output fell 3.4% in April-August compared to a dip of 1.8% a year ago, due to SC ban on mining in Karnataka and Goa The Planning Commission has convened a meeting of ministries concerned next month to discuss the issues related to mining, including the ban on such activities in some states. "We have called a high-level meeting of the ministries concerned next month to discuss the issues related to mining...