Here are some important reports from the biggest newspapers of India:
1. Railways confirms if pensioners above 80 years are alive
The Railways have launched a first-of-its-kind exercise to physically verify whether all its retired employees, aged between 80 and 100 years, are still alive, reported Indian Express.
Starting in February, hundreds of “Welfare Inspectors” have been fanning out to track down each of the 2.86 lakh former employees in this age group, who form 20 per cent of the Railways' total pensioner population of 13,75,483 and draw a combined pension of at least Rs 8,000 crore.
The inspectors, all railway employees, have been asked to visit the houses of all pensioners in this age bracket, obtain their signatures and, if possible, that of their neighbours as witnesses to certify that the beneficiary is alive.
2. Jat agitation: Roads blocked, Para officer Captain Pawan Kumar's body being flown home
The family of martyr Captain Pawan Kumar of 10 Para (Special Forces) is waiting for the body of the 23-year-old killed on Saturday in a gunbattle with militants in Pampore, J&K — 9 Para's Captain Tushar Mahajan from Udhampur was the other officer killed in the encounter.
With reservation-seeking Jat protesters erecting blockades across Haryana, the body of Pawan Kumar can't be brought home in Jind by road, according to Indian Express.
"The mortal remains of the brave martyr will be transported by air to Jind on February 22 as road traffic is disrupted due to the law and order situation in Haryana. The last rites with full military honours is being planned by the Army and state administration at his village tomorrow. The Army appeals to the people of Haryana to extend their full support in giving a befitting farewell to this brave son of their soil," the Army said in a statement.
3. 9% Hike in Defence Budget Allocation Likely This Year
India's defence budget is likely to see a modest hike of 9% to Rs 2.68 lakh crore in 2016-17 while the pension bill alone may go up by over Rs 80,000 crore.
The defence ministry is likely to surrender Rs 12,400 crore, or 16% of the Rs 77,406 crore earmarked for acquisitions under the capital head since several projects could not be processed on time by the three service headquarters, officials told Economic Times.
If pensions and civil expenses of the ministry are also counted, the budget for 2016-17 will increase about 13% to Rs 3.5 lakh crore from Rs 3.1 lakh crore.
4. Rivals make merry as Maggi market share shrinks 35%
The controversy over Maggi noodles, which led to a ban that was overturned, has seen its market share drop by almost half, according to industry executives who drew on Nielsen data.
The Nestle brand managed to retain only 42% share in January while ITC's Yippee grabbed 33%, reported Economic Times.
While Maggi regained the No 1 slot in instant noodles in January, ITC Foods' Sunfeast Yippee has covered much ground and came a close second with a 33% share. The category, dominated by Maggi until May 2015, has become fragmented with others such as Nissin's Top Ramen and Cup Noodles, Ching's Secret, Wai Wai and HUL's Knorr having caught up.
Maggi was banned in June 2015 and returned to stores in early November after a five-month ban.
5. JNU sedition row: In varsity melting pot, Kanhaiya and ABVP leader are hostel neighbours
There are two pairs of black shoes and sandals outside Room No 123, on the first floor of Brahmaputra Hostel, one of the 18 hostels on JNU's campus.
Less than five steps away from the locked door, the occupant of Room 124 is taking a brief break from the meetings and demonstrations that have dominated his life over the past week.
The locked room belongs to Kanhaiya Kumar, the students union leader from CPI's AISF, who is now in judicial custody and faces sedition charges. His neighbour is research scholar Alok Singh, who heads JNU's wing of the RSS's Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
A wall in Singh's room carries pictures of Hindu deities and the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji. On Kumar's walls, says Singh, are posters of Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx.
“Kanhaiya and I have been living in this hostel since last year. We have our ideological differences but it is never personal. We would sit in the hostel mess together, eating and talking. I might not agree with his political ideology but all kinds of views should exist in a university,” Singh told Indian Express.
6. Walking tops office-goers' exercise regime, yoga second
Walking has emerged as the most preferred form of exercise among the country's working population, closely followed by yoga. Running and cycling are the third and fourth most popular options.
A large number of private sector employees use mobile health apps to calculate the calories burnt and distance covered by walking, reported Hindustan Times on the basis of a recent four-city survey, Walk For Health Survey 2016.
The Walk For Health Survey 2016 conducted in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Jaipur has found a majority of government employees walked three to four days a week, and close to half of those employed in the private sector everyday.
7. IIT tests abroad for foreign pupils
In a bid to attract more international talent, the prestigious IITs for the first time are planning hold their entrance tests in Singapore, UAE, Ethiopia and Saarc nations next year to select foreign students for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
At a recent meeting between officials of human resource development and external affairs ministries, eight countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (all Saarc member nations), Ethiopia, Singapore and Dubai (UAE) were zeroed in on for holding entrance tests for foreign nationals 2017 onwards, reported The Times of India.
“It is aimed that the plan would be operationalised from the JEEGATE exams to be conducted in 2017,“ a HRD ministry official said.
8. Born on Army Day, Captain from Haryana dies fighting terrorists in J&K
At a time when his state Haryana and his hometown Jind were ablaze with rioting and caste wars over quotas, Captain Pawan Kumar was leading his troops from the front in a fierce gun battle with heavily-armed terrorists far away at Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pawan, barely 23, was con sidered an intrepid officer who never shied away from li fe-endangering risky mis sions. Commissioned into the Dogra Regiment in December 2013, he had enthusiastically volunteered to join the elite much-decorated 10 Para-Spe cial Forces in June 2015, said a report in The Times of India.
In the thick of relentless co unter-insurgency operations in J&K since September last ye ar, Pawan had recently taken part in two successful missions in which three terrorists were killed.
9. Investor biggies inject seed fund into Bengaluru medical technology startup
Flipkart founders Sachin and Binny Bansal, venture capital giant Accel Partners and other angel investors backing SigTuple
Bengaluru-based medical technology startup SigTuple, which was founded by former American Express executives, has received a round of seed investment from wide-ranging and prominent investors including Flipkart founders Sachin and Binny Bansal, venture capital giant Accel Partners and other angel investors, said a report in Economic Times.
SigTuple, founded by former AmEx Big Data Labs executives Tathagato Rai Dastidar, Rohit Kumar Pandey and Apurv Anand in the middle of last year, is currently based out of Accel's Incubation Center in Bangalore and aims to provide healthcare solutions by analysing blood samples and detecting different diseases using technology-powered tools.
SigTuple declined to share the exact amount of investment it has received so far. Seed investments are typically in the range of $500,000-$1 million.
10. Boat hijacked for 26/11 Mumbai attacks given a makeover, renamed
The 2008 Mumbai attacks may still remain fresh in public memory, but Hiralal Masani, owner of the hijacked Indian fishing trawler Kuber, wants to turn the page on the sordid chapter.
Hindustan Times reported that the Porbandar-based businessman, whose boat was forcibly commandeered by Ajmal Kasab and his comrades to launch the brutal attacks on India's financial capital, decided to not only give it a different look but also a new name the Shri Ganesha Kuber and a new look.
"I have added the name of Shri Ganesha – the lord of good luck – to make sure that evil forces stay away from the vessel," Masani said.
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