-Down to Earth Grand old party of India renews some old promises and makes some new ones, but will Congress live up to its promises if it wins a third term? The Indian National Congress (INC) presented its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Wedneday. The manifesto committee claimed the 48-page document was prepared after wide consultations by engaging millions of people, grassroots congress workers and every section of the...

-BLOOMBERG Keeping the economic data available on website may violate the Election Commission's code of conduct, says state economic statistics director New Delhi: Gujarat led by Narendra Modi, whose party leads in polls to win general elections starting next month, has blocked access to official economic data on its website during the campaign. The directorate of economic statistics in Gujarat, the state Modi has run since 2001, has removed access to publications...

-The World Bank   STORY HIGHLIGHTS In the early 2000s, it was found that the causes of stagnant infant and maternal mortality rates in Tamil Nadu identified the lack of reliable, low cost, and accessible emergency transportation In September 2008, the Government of Tamil Nadu in partnership with GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) launched the free 108 emergency transportation service in the state. ...

-MoneyLife.in India, the world's second largest food producer, is witnessing growing distress and declining confidence in agriculture as most small and landless farmers, with less of a stake, are found to quit farming The recent unseasonal heavy rains, thunder and hailstorms originating from unusually intense western disturbances from the Mediterranean interacting with the south-easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal have ravaged the due-for-harvesting chana, lentils and wheat in Madhya Pradesh,...

-The United Nations Air pollution - both indoor and outdoor - killed some 7 million people across the globe in 2012, making it the world's largest single environmental health risk, according to new figures released today by the UN World Health Organization (WHO). "The risks from air pollution are now far greater than previously thought or understood, particularly for heart disease and strokes," said Maria Neira, Director of WHO's Department for Public...