-The Hindu   On the first anniversary of the Uttarakhand disaster, here's a look at issues plaguing the fledgling state. On June 16, it will be a year since Uttarakhand experienced its worst natural disaster. It was also a year of loss, of grief, of recovery and of resilience. While those affected continue to cope and rise, we need to look beyond the disaster in order to unravel the contradictions and challenges that...

-PTI   Kohima: Gariphema village in Nagaland has been declared the country's first "tobacco-free village". The declaration was made by principal secretary R Benchilo Thong on the occasion of "World No Tobacco Day" on Saturday at the Gariphema village council hall. It was result of an initiative taken by the Gariphema village council, Village Vision Cell and Village Students' Union, Thong said. A resolution was taken at the village that whoever sells alcohol and tobacco...

-The Hindu   Government plans to initiate 100 smart cities It's curtains for the UPA government's flagship programme, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The new Union Urban Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister (HUPA), M. Venkaiah Naidu, who assumed office on Wednesday, said a new mission would be launched soon in place of JNNURM. The new mission would focus on the modern concept for cities based on GIS-based planning...

It is dedicated to learning and educating about the process and politics of policy making in the government, and to enable people to participate in this process so the policies and laws being formulated are in public interest. Sambhaavnaa aims to strengthen Indian democracy by holding the government accountable to the people and protecting their fundamental rights. It is committed to bringing this Vision to the public policy making process...

-The Indian Express   Muslim deprivation is embedded in broader developmental challenges. Whenever the Indian electorate has been told that the country is doing well economically, it has displayed disbelief. This voter scepticism has not spared even the largest of national parties. The relatively successful economic performance of the last decade could not be projected effectively by the UPA. BJP/ NDA strategists were quick to take advantage of this and claim that the...