-The Economic Times DANTEWADA: With both the Congress and BJP advocating an intensification of the military campaign against the Naxals, and the UPA government at the Centre even committing more troops to Chhattisgarh, local development in the state could become a casualty in the crossfire. "An outside force is less capable of discriminating between Naxals and villagers," says Vishwa Ranjan, former director general police, Chhattisgarh. Such an intensification will result in greater...

-The Hindu     Residents cannot believe they will get Hogenakkal scheme water from today Hogenakkal (Dharmapuri): Fifty-one-year-old Unnamalai of Mangarai at Pennagaram in Dharmapuri district breaks into a smile at the prospect of getting potable water from Wednesday under the Rs.1,928-crore Hogenakkal Water Supply Scheme and Fluorosis Mitigation Project. It has been such a long wait that she and many others in the Rural Areas of Hogenakkal cannot believe that the scheme has been...

-Live Mint The varying demographic trends in modern India could create disagreements in the political system There were 180 million more Indians in 2011 than a decade ago. Around half this increase in population came from the villages and half from the cities. The urban population actually grew slightly more than the rural population, perhaps for the first time in Indian history. The big picture is generally known. It is in the...

-CNN-IBN New Delhi: Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has spoken out strongly against intellectuals who "romanticise Maoists". While admitting there is need for focused development in the tribal areas, he said there is no possibility of a dialogue with Maoists as they don't believe in Indian democracy. "You can have a dialogue with people who want to have a dialogue. Maoists are not here for tribal welfare," Ramesh said. While speaking exclusively...

-The Times of India CHENNAI: Hearing impairment being the most common congenital anomaly in newborns, the rising numbers indicate that the state would soon become the deafness capital of the country if efforts are not taken at the earliest to curb it, warn experts. A study conducted by a medical team of the Madras ENT Research Foundation (MERF) found that six out of every 1,000 kids were victims of severe to profound...