M.F. Husain passes away

M.F. Husain, one of the pioneers of modern Indian art and hailed as the "Picasso of India", died in a London hospital on Thursday after a heart attack. He was 95.Husain, who was forced to leave India in 2006 following death threats from right-wing Hindutva groups over his depiction of Hindu deities, had been living in London and Dubai. Last year, in an unprecedented gesture, Qatar offered him citizenship which he accepted though he insisted that India would always remain his "home" regardless of where he lived physically.

Prasar Bharati to negotiate out of court settlements

Litigation-riven public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has decided to set up a team to negotiate out-of-court settlements in the Rs. 400 crore worth arbitration issues it is involved in.Calling this a “decision of far reaching consequences”, the Prasar Bharati Board on Monday decided that a “special high-level negotiating empowered team” would take this up on a priority basis.

Bangalore to host 51st National Senior Athletic Championship

Bangalore will host 51st National Senior Athletic Championship from June 11 to 14 at Kanteerava Stadium. In a press conference on Thursday, the Vice President of Karnataka Athletics Association Dr. Ashwath Narayana informed that the four day Championship will be crucial for the Indian athletes attempting to qualify for Asian Championship at Kobe in Japan . Around 680 athletes from across India will showcase their talent in 44 events. International level athletes from India , winners of Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medals, will contest in the championship. Doordarshan has arranged live telecast of the event. 

Courtesy : AIR

Prithvi-II successfully test-fired

India on Thursday test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Orissa as part of the user trial by the Army."The missile mounted on a mobile launcher was test-fired from the launch complex-3 in the ITR at around 0905 hours", defence officials said on Thursday.With a maximum striking range of 350 km, the missile is capable of carrying a pay-load of 500-1000 kg warhead.

Beedi workers to get medical insurance benefits

About 55 lakh beedi workers will soon get medical insurance benefits under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) by 2013-14 under a proposal approved by the Union Cabinet on Thursday.A meeting of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, decided to extend the insurance cover to the beedi workers spread across the country, with the government spending an estimated Rs 311.25 crore on it.

Govt lowers pension age limit for BPL category

An additional 72.32 lakh persons in the age group of 60-64 years and living below the poverty line will get pension benefits with the Government on Thursday lowering the age limit to 60.The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also decided to increase the rate of pension to persons of 80 years and above from Rs 200 to Rs 500.

Reaching Out to the Neglected Poor in Rural India National Social Assistance Program

One of the underlying philosophies behind the pro-people and pro --poor initiatives of the Government enjoins upon the State to undertake series of welfare measures.  Article 41 of the Constitution directs the States to provide public assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved want within the limit of its economic capacity and development. Keeping in mind these basic principles the National Social Assistance Program was launched in 1995.