-Down to Earth Ministers write protest letters to prime minister and finance minister, saying it would greatly impact ongoing schemes The Congress-led UPA government has been harping on its pro-poor schemes in the run up to the elections early next year. But it has effected a drastic cut in budgetary allocations for social welfare schemes. The move is reportedly prompted by the urgent need to contain current account deficit (CAD) to below...

-Outlook Erode: Five panchayats in Erode district would be made model panchayats with implementation of the total sanitation scheme and full coverage of toilets, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) officials said. The panchayats are Pazhamangalam (Modakurichi Block) Varadhanallur (Bhavani Block), Karapalayam (Erode block), Pariyur (Gobichettipalayam) and Kullappanaickkenpalayam in T. N. Palayam Block. The DRDA officials said a campaign has been conducted on the harmful effects of open defecation and the need to construct...

-The Hindu PALAKKAD: Death continues to stalk tribal infants at Attappady. Two more tribal infants died on Saturday of alleged malnutrition, taking the toll to 38 since January this year. The three-day-old child of Shantha and Subramaniyan of Chindakki primitive tribal hamlet in Pudur grama panchayat died on the way to the Coimbatore medical college. Shantha had delivered the child at the Mannarkad taluk hospital on October 28. The mother and child were...

-The Hindu New Delhi: Against the backdrop of increasing violence against women and children across the country, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development had launched the ‘Ahimsa Messenger' Programme in last August to address the critical issue at the grass roots level through creating numerous Ahimsa Messengers. The messengers would be generating awareness on basic legal rights, procedures and provisions amongst women and children; they would also serve as link...

-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...