-The Hindu Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh made it clear on Friday that two of his ambitious projects - Umeed for empowerment of women and Himayat for capacity building and employment of youth - would be soon extended to all 143 rural development blocks in Jammu and Kashmir. Buoyed by massive response in the four blocks, two each in Kashmir and Jammu divisions, Mr. Ramesh is now planning dovetailing of the...

-The Hindu Hyderabad: The Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) sub-plans, for whose implementation the Government adopted a legislation recently, have finally been named "Indiramma Kalalu (dreams). The implementation of these plans is being launched formally by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy in West Godavari and Khammam districts on Friday, marking the celebrations of 106th jayanti of late Jagjivan Ram. The Government is taking pride that AP has emerged as the...

-The Economic Times PATNA: Reserving 33% seats for women in Parliament and state legislatures may remain a dream for Congress president Sonia Gandhi but Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has not only done that in panchayat bodies of Bihar but is set to take the concept to other areas. Women's support for JD(U) had swelled in elections following the reservations, as the fair sex exhibited approval for the progressive legislation. Encouraged by 'lady...

-The Telegraph Calcutta: The Bengal government today suggested that panchayat elections be held on May 5 and 8, springing in the high court a surprise that had little new other than the fresh dates. The government's proposal did not address the security concerns of the state election commission that had moved Calcutta High Court on Monday. According to the commission, central forces have to be deployed if the polls are held in two...

-The Hindu The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested former Gujarat Assistant Commissioner of Police N.K. Amin in connection with the fake encounter killing of Mumbai college girl Ishrat Jahan and three others. Amin was recently freed on bail in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case by the Bombay High Court on health grounds. On Thursday, he was arrested from the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad where he was undergoing treatment. Ishrat...