In a dramatic development, the South-West Monsoon has advanced and covered almost the entire country in one swoop in just about 12 hours, barring some areas in Rajasthan. Even as of Sunday evening, the India Meteorological Department had predicted that the monsoon was likely to reach Delhi in a day or two and subsequently the other parts of north India in another two to three days only. But, by Monday morning, the...

Armed with integrated action plans for 35 Naxalite-affected districts in nine states, the Planning Commission is all set to approach the Union Cabinet for a proposed outlay of Rs 13,742 crore to wean away the tribals from sympathising with the Maoists through comprehensive infrastructure and economic development as well as proper implement of the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996 and related Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest...

The power of the Gram Panchayats of sanctioning works under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has been curtailed down to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 10 lakh, said Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer P Shivashankar. Addressing the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee meeting on Wednesday at ZP hall, he said that the step has been taken up by the Government following several complaints of misuse of funds under...

Greenhouse gas emissions from rich countries fell a record 7 per cent in 2009 because of the recession, but the cut was entirely nullified by steep increases from fast-growing China and India, according to one of Europe's leading scientific research groups. Overall, this meant annual global climate emissions remained steady for the first time since 1992, says the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency which drew on energy-use data from the U.S. government,...

Senior Congress leader and former sports minister Mani Shanker Aiyer has slammed the current United Progressive Alliance government under Dr Manmohan Singh for the huge amount of 'wasteful expenditure' being incurred on the Commonwealth games, saying that if a part of this money had been spent on the Bhopal Gas victims it would have brought the affected 'some relief'. The outspoken Aiyer, who was recently nominated to the Rajya Sabha, has...