-The Hindu Scheme will be extended to all taluk hospitals: Minister THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (Kerala): The Planning Commission has recognised the palliative care programme being implemented in the State under Arogyakeralam as one among the best healthcare schemes in the country, Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar has said. In a statement here, Mr. Sivakumar said that the palliative care scheme, being implemented in 736 local bodies in the State, would be extended to all taluk hospitals. Thiruvananthapuram...

-The Hindu For the first time in decades, the Maoists have encouraged calibrated polling in some areas, instead of fanatically implementing a policy to boycott the election The districts of Chhattisgarh partially controlled by Maoists - with 12 Assembly constituencies - voted overwhelmingly in 2013. Compared to 2008, voter turnout in 2013 increased by 9.67 percentage points in 12 constituencies, while the overall polling was 6.81 percentage points higher than in the...

-The Hindu The chopping off of the palms of two migrant workers is a wake-up call The gruesome incident of the chopping off of the palms of two migrant labourers of Kalahandi district of western Odisha by the labour contractor mafia in December 2013 should serve as a wake-up call. The incident highlights the ruthless extent to which the mafia can go to meet its ends and brings home the fact that...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: For the first time, community radio stations will come up in Naxalite-affected areas in the country. In a significant shift in policy, the government has given the nod for nine CR stations in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. The first one is likely to come up in Bastar in Chhattisgarh. The CR stations that have received permission include one each in Ambikapur and Bilaspur and two in Raipur,...

-Outlook Jammu: In a bid to check drop out rates in schools and ensure attendance of staff, the Jammu and Kashmir government has given powers to the Panchayats to oversee functioning of schools. This information was given at a meeting of Committee on Government Assurance of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council held here under the chairmanship of MLC S Dharambir Singh Oberoi to discuss and examine status of various government assurances. The Panchayats...