-The Times of India CHENNAI: The simple yet nutritious idli is the fastest selling item on the menu at the Amma canteens. Since February, 4.6 crore idlis have been sold here. But the taste of success might just be embittered by financial burden on the corporation. Sources said the civic body loses 86 paise per idli, which is sold for 1 in the canteens. So, if the civic body sold 4.6 crore...

-Outlook Raipur: Chhattisgarh has been selected for this year's prestigious National Literacy Award for the first time since its formation in November 2000. "For the first time after formation of the state, Chhattisgarh has been selected for the Literate Indian National Literacy Award as it has attained remarkable achievements in the field of literacy," an official statement said today. "Korea district and its village panchayat Patna will also get this award along with...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: A working group of the Sonia-Gandhi-led National Advisory Council has called for the creation of dedicated human resource departments at central ministries dealing with social programmes to ensure better delivery of the government's flagship schemes. The working group has suggested that the proposed HR wings should be entrusted with the responsibility of framing guidelines for recruitment and training of frontline workers, besides laying down key performance indicators...

-The Hindu Biomass cookstoves and solar lighting improve the health of women and are creating business models that empower them Around the world three billion people have no access to modern cooking fuels. They depend mostly on direct burning of solid biomass for cooking and heating. The smoke from these rudimentary stoves causes some four million deaths annually, destroys millions of tonnes of crops and leads to global warming and large-scale regional...

-The Hindu THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala government proposes to introduce a pension scheme for workers registered under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREG) and having worked under the MGNREG scheme for at least 100 days a year. Minister for Rural Development and Culture K.C. Joseph told the media that the pension scheme would be implemented with contributions from State and Central governments and the workers. This is the first pension scheme...