In a major shift in policy, the Centre now plans to confine food entitlement only to below poverty Line (BPL) households and completely exclude the existing category of the above poverty line families. This is one of the significant changes proposed in the National Food Security Bill which is currently being considered by the Parliamentary Standing Committee. Under the plan envisaged by the Centre, the task of identifying the BPL families will...

-The Telegraph A one-stop web-enabled solution for silk farmers of the country was launched today. SILKS (Sericulture, Information Linkages and Knowledge System) was inaugurated by Ishita Roy, member secretary of Central Silk Board, Bangalore, today through video conferencing. It is expected to go a long way in addressing the needs and problems of silk farmers in the country. “This should be used as a tool for decision making and states should start working on...

-The Hindu Two students from the North-East have died unnatural deaths in the last few days. Dana Sangma, a student from Meghalaya studying for an MBA at an institute in Gurgaon, committed suicide after she was accused by her college of cheating; Richard Loitam, a student of architecture from Manipur, was found dead in his hostel room in Bangalore from head injuries. In both cases, there have been allegations of callousness...

Population has started to swell in Delhi's suburbs. Gurgaon and Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar) are among the top five places in India that recorded the highest decadal growth rate in population. While Gurgaon recorded a 74% increase in population between 2001 and 2011, Noida saw a rise by almost 52%. India saw a 17.6% increase in population over the decade. Kurung Kumey - a small district in Arunachal Pradesh bordering China -...

-The Times of India   Bihar seems to be becoming a pensioners' paradise with the state spending the highest amount on account of pension among all states, 48% of its revenue earnings. Along with some north-eastern states, Bihar's expenditure on pension, administrative services (salaries etc) and interest payments adds up to more than its total revenue generation.  According to budget documents of state governments, Bihar is the only one among non-special category states...