-The Times of India Even as his drinking water and sanitation department tied up with DRDO on Thursday to set up bio-digestor toilets in 1,000 village panchayats across the country, Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh could not resist taking a couple of jocular swipes at the huge annual funds allocated to the defence ministry. Just the cost of a single Rafale fighter — MoD is finalizing the acquisition of 126 of...

-PTI Methane gas generated from human waste could be used to light up bio-toilets developed by scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.  Acting on suggestions made by Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh, the premier research agency is now working to provide lighting solution for the convenience of those who will use bio-toilets in darkness.  "We are finding out the means to do it as the rate of production of...

-The Hindu In a bid to banish the spectre of Open Defecation within a decade, the government has increased its spending on toilets for rural areas, hiking the amount to be spent for a household latrine from the existing Rs.4,600 to Rs.10,000. On Thursday, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the increased allocation for the Total Sanitation Campaign — now renamed the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) — from Rs.1,500 crore in...

-The Hindu Emphasising the medically proven links between malnutrition and sanitation, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking his support in sustaining a hike in the 12th Five Year Plan's allocation for drinking water and sanitation. In his letter, Mr. Ramesh has referenced a 2009 article from medical journal The Lancet , which shows that a key cause of child undernutrition is a sub-clinical disorder...

-The Economic Times His company's software has, over the decades, enabled legions of Indian youth to become computer engineers, and helped the country lay claim to IT superpower status. With luck, his fortune now may help the country achieve something much more basic. The global charity founded on the fortune of software billionaire Bill Gates is joining hands with the Indian government to improve sanitation in rural areas where nearly 60% of...