In keeping with the Prime Minister’s “New 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities”, the Union ministry of minority affairs (MoMA) is busy chalking out strategy to help improve the condition of the country’s minorities. It is also focusing on the proper implementation of various schemes already introduced by it to help improve the lot of the country’s minorities, particularly Muslims.

Looking toward restoring the peace process in Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for non-lethal methods to deal with public agitation and ordered the establishment of a high-powered task force to make recommendations on the issue within three months.

The government plans to leave a little more money in the hands of the taxpayer, but not too much. On Thursday, the Union Cabinet cleared the new Direct Tax Code (DTC) Bill, which seeks to exempt income of up to `2 lakhs per year from income-tax against the current limit of `1.6 lakh annually. For senior citizens, the limit will now be `2.5 lakhs.

Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet, which met here on Thursday, ordered a major reshuffle in both police and administration, shifting about 30 senior officials from their present responsibilities.

The Parliament gherao by hundreds of farmers led by the RLD chief Ajit Singh on Thursday saw leaders of both the Left and the right, the BJP, coming together to champion the cause of the agitating farmers. All the leaders cutting across the party lines demand from the government to bring a new law on land acquisition.

Six unidentified bike-borne assailants stabbed to death a HP petrol pump employee and injured three others in northwest Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar area on Wednesday night when they were asked to pay for the petrol.

With 54 fresh cases reported on Wednesday, the total number of dengue cases in the capital reached 530, raising questions over the ability of the civic agencies to check the spread of the disease in time for the Common-wealth Games. The fact that the incidence of dengue tends to go up in the month of September and continues till the better part of October, which is the time when the Games are going to be held, can only worsen the situation.

A 32-year-old pregnant woman died under highly mysterious circumstances in Bindapur area on Tuesday with her relatives alleging that she was poisoned by her husband for dowry.

A six-year-old boy was killed and his elder sister and mother critically injured when a century-old three-storey building collapsed in Hauz Qazi area of central Delhi on Wednesday afternoon.

Persistent and heavy rainfall since Tuesday evening left several areas in the capital submerged leading to huge traffic snarls and water-logging at more than 100 places on Wednesday. The Old Yamuna Bridge, which is used both for rail and road traffic, had to be closed down due to safety concerns. Several passenger and express trains