-Hindustan Times Scientists at IIT Roorkee have come up with a new construction technique for earthquake resistant housing using recycled pieces of rubber tyres and the scheme is based on the principle of dissipating energy. Pankaj Agarwal of the department of earthquake engineering, IIT Roorkee told HT: “This is based on interlocking of pre-cast slotted concrete blocks with the help of energy dissipation links. These links are prepared by recycling pieces of...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: As the death toll in the current heat wave crossed the 2,000 mark, this has become the fifth deadliest ever heatwave in the world and the second deadliest in India, according to an international database of disasters. Weathermen are predicting that there are a few more days left in the ongoing heatwave which has killed the most number of people in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, while...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: As online shopping catches up, you could buy medicines too with a click of the mouse for which the health ministry is evaluating a proposal. The drug quality regulator is framing guidelines and mechanism to monitor such sale. The proposal is expected to be taken up for discussion in the drugs consultative committee meeting next month, a senior regulatory official said. At present, the Drugs & Cosmetics...

-The Hindu The Modi government is determined to dismantle the two-pronged welfare paradigm. It is now an established fact that one area where the Narendra Modi administration has acted with a sense of purpose, urgency and resolve is in slashing social expenditure. Be it education, health, agriculture, livelihood security, food security, panchayati raj institutions, drinking water or the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes sub-plan, central government funds earmarked for social protection have been cut. The...

-The Times of India AGARTALA: The Tripura government on Wednesday lifted the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, (AFSPA) from the state with immediate effect, chief minister Manik Sarkar announced. The Act has been in force in the one militancy-ravaged state since 1997, Sarkar told media the decision was taken in the cabinet meeting on Wednesday. "Insurgency activities in the state are now reduced almost at zero. The demand for withdrawing the AFSPA has been persuaded at...