Aadhaar now a must for new Provident Fund accounts

NEWSPAPER  HEADLINES

The news stories on Justice Verma Committee's detailed roadmap of steps the Centre and States should take to prevent crimes against women, and Mr. Rajnath Singh taking charge as BJP President, appear prominently on the front pages of the day's papers. The Hindu reports that "Verma panel says no to death penalty". A Hindustan Times headline reads, "Under new chief, BJP puts fight on hold, plans for 2014".

An interesting political drama unfolded in Bangalore yesterday when two Ministers and 11 MLAs, loyal to former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, submitted their papers, in order to topple the Jaddish Shetter-led BJP Government in Karnataka, reports The Pioneer.

"Aadhaar now a must for New Provident Fund Accounts" under that headline The Indian Express reports that those entering the formal sector work force will now have to get a UID number before they enroll with the Employee Provident Fund.

AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi formally assumed office on Wednesday, says The Asian Age, and adds that he strongly pitched for 'Positive Politics', and asserted that with a combination of the youth and the experience Congress can become an 'Instrument of Change'.

'Mobile charges go up', says The Statesman. Leading operators Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular announced a 30 per cent hike. "Pay more, talk less", writes The Business Standard.

"Get Bookmarked, Jaipur Lit Fest opens today", reads the headline of a story in Hindustan Times. The Hindu reports that the 2013 edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival is likely to cause waves again, with Islamic groups protesting against authors who last year read from Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses, and Hindu groups threatening to disrupt the proceedings because of the presence of several Pakistani authors.

And finally, in a health alert, citing a Taiwan study The Times of India informs us that Melamine, a chemical that sickened and killed babies in China in the past when it tainted baby food, can also leach off Melamine tableware into food and cause kidney stones. The paper adds that Melamine tableware may release large amounts of the chemical when used to serve food at high temperatures.