-Economic and Political Weekly India's scheduled tribes are among the most deprived socio-economic groups and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme has great potential in tribal areas. While the Andhra Pradesh government has made an effort to ensure implementation of the scheme in the scheduled areas, the gap between administrative orders and the grass-roots level is wide. This article lists measures that could radically improve implementation of the scheme...

-The Hindu Guguloth Shanthamma, from a small hamlet in Mangalavaripet, left her hard-hearted husband behind to start a new life; she now runs an eatery Warangal (Andhra Pradesh): When life takes a beating, many surrender. But not Guguloth Shanthamma who left behind her hard-hearted husband to start a new life that promises security and happiness. Hailing from a small hamlet in Mangalavaripet of Khanapur mandal, she rose up to become a successful entrepreneur...

-Deccan Herald Western Ghats are particularly rich in wild relatives of tuber crops. Tuber crops not only enrich the diet of the villagers in this region, but also possess medicinal properties to cure many ailments or at least check their incidence. The eco-nomically and socially important tropical tuber crops are cassava (Manihot esculenta), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), yams (Dioscorea alata, D.esculenta and D.rotundata), aroids which include elephant foot yam, taro, tannia,...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Muslims, dalits and adivasis - three of the most vulnerable sections of Indian society - make up more than half of India's prison population, according to an official report on prisons released this month. Although the proportion of these three communities in India adds up to about 39%, their share amongst prisoners is considerably higher at 53%. India had 4.2 lakh people in prison in 2013....

-Business Standard The committee has suggested an umbrella law to help set up new national and state-level regulators that would also take the powers of the existing pollution control boards The T S R Subramanian committee, constituted about three months ago to review laws related to environment and forest protection, has recommended some big-ticket changes to the rules and legislation. These include a complete overhaul of certain laws, special fast-track dispensation...