-The Indian Express   Accepting the Uttar Pradesh government’s request, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) will start a special audit of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in the state from Monday. The CAG, through the Principal Accountant General (Civil Audit), Uttar Pradesh, will audit NRHM schemes since the beginning of the scheme up to March 31, 2011 in 24 districts. For the auditing, five zonal auditing wings have been created in Lucknow,...

-The Times of India   The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure security of its officials who would start probe into the alleged financial irregularities into the National Rural Health Mission. The CAG office has writen a letter to UP chief secretary and the principal secretary, health and family welfare, expressing concern over the security of its probe team, comprising 50 auditors in addition to...

Despite a recovery, acreage of groundnut, sunflower and castorseed recorded a sharp decline this year due to low rainfall in major producing areas during the peak sowing season. The three major kharif oilseeds are sown for a month starting June 15 and harvested between October and December. Data collated by the ministry of agriculture showed the area under groundnut declined 28.37 per cent as on July 21. The sowing area under...

-PTI   Alleging that he was denied food along with others at an official meeting due to "caste discrimination", the ruling BJD MLA Kashinath Mallik today sought intervention of Orissa assembly speaker. Mallik, who represented Daspall in the assembly, met the speaker Pradip Kumar Amat and drew his attention towards the alleged discrimination. "While three other MLAs of Nayagarh district and Kandhamal MP were served food at a room with dignity,...

-The Economic Times   A group of ministers formed to approve the draft mining Bill, has agreed to earmark 100% of the royalty paid by major mineral mining companies , to compensate people displaced by such projects. The panel, chaired by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee , which met on Thursday , also agreed to earmark 26% of the profit made by coal mining companies, in favour of people directly affected ,...