-The Hindu Minister orders survey within two days Vijayapura (Karnataka): Pointing to his grape farm, which has been virtually devastated in the rains that lashed the district on Monday, Shantaram Shirol says that his only hope to recover loss is if the government offers some compensation. "Just see this damaged crop. If that remains in the field for two more days, forget people, even the cattle will not consume it," he said. Mr. Shirol...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government has identified five "high-end services", including bills in four- and five-star hotels, which will attract additional service tax to fund Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat campaign, and leave a slightly bigger dent in your pocket. Sources, however, indicated that against an "enabling provision" of levying up to 2% cess over the 14% service tax, the government is expected to notify an additional 1%...

-The Hindu Much of the National Health Policy document reads like a report of health issues and systemic challenges, and is sorely wanting on policy detail Health impoverishment - falling into poverty due to health care costs - affects 63 million individuals in India every year. This is a damning statistic, especially when read with the fact that 18 per cent of all households face catastrophic health expenditures (health expenditure greater than...

-Business Standard States will now have to spend from their pockets to keep their social-sector schemes going The 2015-16 Budget seems to have broken the contract between the Centre and the states on sharing the economic burden for delivering social security. The Centre's assistance to the states for social sector schemes has come down from a budgeted Rs 3.56 lakh crore in FY15 to Rs 2.20 lakh crore in FY16. Effectively, while the...

-PTI As on February 23, 2015, approximately 1.46 lakh consumers have voluntarily given up LPG subsidy on their domestic LPG connections. There are no plans to withdraw the facility of subsidised LPG cylinders to financially well off people, even as 1.46 lakh such consumers have voluntarily given up the subsidy, the government said on Tuesday. "As on February 23, 2015, approximately 1.46 lakh consumers have voluntarily given up LPG subsidy on their domestic...