Finally, gory pictorial warnings like that of rotting mouths, hanging gums and infected lungs, will appear on cigarette, bidi, cigar and smokeless or chewing tobacco packets from December 1. The Union health ministry issued the notification on Saturday after years of buckling to resistance from the all-powerful tobacco lobby. The latest notification contains a set of four pictures each of lung and oral cancer. The warnings, which will be rotated every two...

Every day, through scorching summers and chilly winters, Himmat pedals his bicycle rickshaw through New Delhi's crowded streets, earning barely enough to feed his family. But to India's government he is not poor – not even close. The 5,000 rupees ($110) he earns a month pays for a tiny room with a single light bulb and no running water for his family of four. After buying just enough food to keep...

Import duty on raw silk has been cut from 30 to 5 per cent The mood is grim at the Government Cocoon Market in Ramanagaram. The auction of silk cocoons is on; however, no silk reeler is willing to pay more than Rs. 110 for a kg. At this rate, the loss incurred by each farmer is a heartbreaking Rs. 60 a kg. Double whammy The loss is greater and the risk more...

Land acquisition by steel behemoth ArcelorMittal is changing the demography of Bokaro’s hinterland. The lure of a smart compensation package being offered by the company — Rs 5 lakh per acre and jobs — has spurred villagers of Kasmar and Petarwar blocks to sell their land to family members and friends to make the most of the expected windfall. Ever since the land acquisition process started in early 2010, a number of...

-The Hindustan Times   Separate CBI teams from New Delhi arrived in Orissa on Tuesday and began probing into the alleged large-scale corruption in implementation of the rural job scheme under MGNREGA, official sources said on Tuesday. The officials of the premier investigating agency have already reached the districts of Rayagada, Kalahandi and Koraput, an official said adding they have met district level officials before verifying documents relating to MGNREGA. "The state government has...