Inflation declined to a fifteen month low of 3.36 percent during the week ended February 14 against 3.92 percent in the previous week.

The 0.56 low was caused mainly due to fall in the prices of food articles like fruit and vegetables, pulses, and some manufactured items, raising hopes of cuts in the key policy rates by the RBI.

During the week, prices of food articles like maize fell by five percent, barley by three percent, and fruit and vegetables by two percent while eggs and spices declined by one percent each.

Among manufactured products, prices of mustard oil reduced by two percent, and sooji and coconut oil by one percent each.

Ruling out speculation of a price-cut in diesel on Thursday, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said the issue is not on the Cabinet's agenda.

Talking to reporters here today, Deora refused to comment on the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, scheduled for Friday evening to discuss fuel price revision.

Petroleum Secretary R S Pandey said: "I have not been informed of any meeting till now."

With the state-owned oil firms gaining Rs 3.26 per litre, a reduction in retail rates is expected.

Union Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary Affairs V. Narayanasamy on Thursday said that despite implementing key components of Central Government's Bharat Nirman Yojana in Jharkhand and Orissa, if the two State governments requested, a special package could be considered.

He also said that special schemes like the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme and NREGA are being implemented in both Jharkhand and Orissa.

Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal today announced the setting up of UNESCO Regional Centre for Biotechnology in Faridabad and Haryana.

Talking to reporters here, Sibal said the Centre would be beneficial to all countries in the region including India in developing knowledge-rich highly skilled human resource, harmonization of policies and procedures in biotechnology and indirectly promoting trade. Biotechnology being essentially global, the partnerships are as much within as across countries.

The Union Cabinet today approved the request of the Assam Government for conversion of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati into an autonomous grants-in-aid

New Delhi, Feb 26 : High School Musical star Zac Efron has reportedly proposed to his co-star Vanessa Hudgens to please her mother.

Efron, 21, and Hudgens, 20, have been dating for three years, and now he has asked her to marry him because her mom Gina Hudgens doesn't approve of the couple living together out of wedlock, reports the China Daily.