-The Times of India CHANDIGARH: Can an unmarried man demand a bride from a candidate ahead of Lok Sabha elections? You can in Haryana, a state with the lowest sex ratio in the country - 877 women per 1,000 men. An abnormally large number of unmarried men in Haryana has even led to the creation of informal "randa unions". Their slogan is "Bahu dilao-vote pao" (Get us a bride-get our vote) ahead...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The country's faltering economy is likely to get a significant stimulus from election spending by political parties, candidates and the government which estimates suggest could be as much as Rs 30,000 crore. The figure is comparable to the $4 billion (around Rs 20,000 crore at the prevailing exchange rate) additional spending that the government announced in 2008 to shield the economy from the impact of the...

-Outlook Mumbai: Maharashtra government staff would contribute their one day's salary towards relief for hailstorm-affected farmers. The amount would be around Rs 200 crore and would be contributed by the around 15 lakh staff, G D Kulthe, chief advisor of Maharashtra State Gazetted Officer Federation, said. Unseasonal rains, accompanied by severe hailstorms have left at least 28 people dead and over 100 others injured across Maharashtra in the past 10 days, officials said. Several...

-Press Information Bureau (Ministry of Information & Broadcasting) Shri Bimal Julka, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting presented the 3rd National Community Radio Awards here today. The list of awardees is as under. i) Most Creative /Innovative Programme Content Awards 1) Yerlavani Community Radio, run by Yerala Projects Society, Sangli, Maharashtra, for its programme, "Changes in cropping and agricultural practices as per environmental change" 2) Community Radio JU, Run by Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West...

-Down to Earth Delisting fruits and vegetables from APMC Act in Congress-ruled states will not benefit farmers Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi last December said fruits and vegetables will become affordable if states allowed farmers to directly sell their produce to consumers. He also directed the chief ministers in Congress-ruled states to delist fruits and vegetables from the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act. The Act makes it mandatory for farmers to sell...