People with medical implants like pacemakers must not keep their cellphones on their shirt pockets.  The latest directive by the department of telecommunication (DoT) says that "people having active medical implants should preferably keep the cellphone at least 15cm away from the implant."  An office memorandum, circulated by the ministry of communications and IT on January 25, says manufacturer's mobile handset booklets will have to contain the safety precaution.  MoS for communications and...

-The Telegraph   The Assam Human Rights Commission has granted a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of a woman who died because of alleged medical negligence at Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) in 2006. Commission member Jyoti Prasad Chaliha today said they had directed the Assam health department to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of Latika Das, 35, who passed away at the GMCH on...

Warns of contempt action in case of any default The Supreme Court has directed the States of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu and the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep to implement the various schemes formulated for the welfare of the workers without any further delay. A Bench of Chief Justice...

-The Hindu   The Services will enable transfer, application procedures to be brought to one's door Last Christmas Eve, 35 people in a remote village of Jharkhand received a unique present. They became the first Indians to access their Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme bank accounts on their doorstep, having had their identities authenticated through their Aadhaar numbers. They are among the earliest beneficiaries of the next phase of the ambitious —...

Deadwood in the Indian bureaucracy will not be able to clog the government any longer. The Centre has notified a rule making it compulsory for IAS, IPS and officers from other all-India Services to retire in "public interest" if they fail to clear a review after 15 years of service.  Officers adjudged as inefficient and non-performing will be shown the door and even those who make the cut will need to...