-The Indian Express A joint venture between the Railways and the Karnataka government, the original project involved construction of 329 bridges and 29 tunnels, and required felling of more than 2.5 lakh trees on 965 hectares of forest land.  The Rs 2,315-crore Hubli-Ankola railway line, cutting across the Western Ghats in Karnataka, has been shown the red signal by a Supreme Court panel on forest and wildlife, which said that the...

-Livemint.com Farmers’ welfare is a multi-dimensional issue, with the farm ministry playing a small but significant role Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement to rename the ministry of agriculture to ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare may be symbolic, but is at the least a recognition of the stress in rural economy. The stress, particularly in the farming sector, is now all too obvious with the increase in suicides being reported in many...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The days of domestic helps, mostly women, toiling away for a pittance may soon be over with the government giving final touches to a national policy which will prescribe a minimum salary along with other benefits like compulsory paid leave every year and maternity leave. According to sources, the minimum salary could be pegged at Rs 9,000 per month while 15 days of paid leave a...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Centre has decided to stop reimbursing states for the unsubsidised cooking gas cylinders they are forced to buy for the school midday meal scheme. A food security adviser expressed the fear that the Centre's decision may force states to fall back on firewood. But a former member of the National Advisory Council backed the decision, saying states should make use of the additional money they were getting...

-Outlook The Press Information Bureau (PIB) today launched a blog to mark the country's 69th Independence Day. The blog, https://pibindia.wordpress.com has posts and articles by Union Ministers of Rural Development Birender Singh and of Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar and also other ministries highlighting achievements of the government. A colourful factsheet on the government's activities is also embedded in the blog. "The move is a part of its overall shift towards more interactive...