-The Hindu Switching to renewable energy sources in the country's midday meal programme will save millions of rupees. But only a few kitchens are doing anything about it, says the author. This is a story of facts and figures and sheer size. Of an auditorium-sized room dense with hot steam from cooking. Of seven tonnes of cooked rice and four tanker-loads of steaming sambar that needed 70 pairs of hands for cutting...

-PTI MUMBAI: Severely hit by drought since the past few years, the Maharashtra government has outlined a Rs 60,000 crore programme which includes creating decentralised water storage to make the state drought free in three years. "Maharashtra is reeling under severe drought crisis. We have outlined an investment of Rs 60,000 crore over the next three years to ensure that Maharashtra is drought free," Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said at the 177th...

-The Hindu     The promise of near-universal coverage is now nowhere in sight. And the UPA's seemingly fretful efforts to get the measure through do not appear to be convincing The nation is watching with trepidation the play of politics over the National Food Security Bill, which envisages food security for 67 per cent of the population by providing 5 kg of rice, wheat or coarse cereals per person per month at subsidised...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: Congress' efforts to secure support for the food bill in its present form have run into trouble, with the Opposition seeking radical overhaul of its provisions and SP, which lends outside support to the ruling coalition at the Centre, asking the government to junk the proposed legislation. The National Food Security Bill is considered to be the world's largest experiment in ensuring food security to poor as...

-The Hindu Chennai: Just ahead of World No Tobacco Day (on Friday), the State government issued a formal notification to implement the ban on manufacture, sale, storage, and distribution of gutka and pan masala in the State. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa made an announcement on the floor of the Assembly during the budget session that the government would implement a comprehensive ban on gutka and pan masala. The notification was issued on May 23...