-PTI Bhubaneswar: Rejecting the Centre's decision of providing "allowance" to school children for mid-day meal (MDM), Odisha government today asked opposition BJP not to politicise the National Food Security Act to be implemented in the state from November 1. "Allowance to school children instead of MDM is not at all acceptable to the state. This will defeat the very purpose of the MDM for reduction of drop out rates. The Centre on...

-Business Standard No 'smart city' will be created in the next five years, though a successful programme could see several smart colonies come up across the country The National Democratic Alliance government's ambitious Smart Cities programme will at best be able set up only 100 pilot projects in the first five years. Contrary to general perception, no 'smart city' will be created in the next five years, though a successful programme could...

-The Indian Express The FIU generated 17 suspicious transaction reports (STRs) related to PEPs in the last one year. The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has stepped up its surveillance on high value transactions by politicians, senior bureaucrats and their immediate relatives who fall under the “politically exposed persons” (PEP) category. According to sources, the FIU generated 17 suspicious transaction reports (STRs) related to PEPs in the last one year. All these cases...

-The Hindu The murder of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri should come as no surprise to those who have been closely following the ground level politics in western Uttar Pradesh. The murder of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri, on the edge of the national capital, by a violent Hindu mob on Wednesday should come as no surprise to those who have been closely following the ground level politics in western Uttar Pradesh and the...

-The Statesman The toxicity of pesticides to humans, their ability to remain in the environment and accumulate in products require the establishment of strict scientifically substantiated regulations for their safe application. In India, the rules for using pesticides are worked out together by the Union ministries for agriculture and health. Every year, an approved “List of Chemical and Biological Means for Controlling Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds Allowed to be used...