-Outlook The Maoists want a military conflict as it brings more adivasis into their fold. The Indian state's best bet is in ensuring that it wins over the aam adivasis to its side.   May 25th's condemnable attack by the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army, which ended up killing and injuring over 50 people from Congress politicians to migrant adivasi labourers, cannot be understood without recognising the Maoist party's explicit political aims. These...

-The Hindu Chennai: Just ahead of World No Tobacco Day (on Friday), the State government issued a formal notification to implement the ban on manufacture, sale, storage, and distribution of gutka and pan masala in the State. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa made an announcement on the floor of the Assembly during the budget session that the government would implement a comprehensive ban on gutka and pan masala. The notification was issued on May 23...

-The Telegraph Howrah/ Calcutta: Union minister Jairam Ramesh today hit back at Mamata Banerjee for daring the Centre to impose Article 356 in Bengal and termed her government a "circus". "I don't think the Centre is so irresponsible. (It) goes by the Constitution. I don't think Article 356 is applied because a chief minister dares the Centre to do so," the rural development minister, who had earlier met governor M.K. Narayanan, said...

-PTI New Delhi: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday issued notice to the Kerala government over alleged deaths of several infants due to malnutrition in Attappadi area of the state. The rights panel has given six weeks time to the state government to submit a report in this regard. According to an NHRC statement, the commission has issued a notice to Chief Secretary, Kerala after taking suo motu cognisance of an...

-The Telegraph Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has written to the Prime Minister for a rethink on a cabinet committee's recent clearances to two mining projects in Jharkhand's Saranda forests. Ramesh has argued that the projects would harm his ministry's Rs 300-crore development plan for the region, alienate local tribals and weaken the fight to contain the Maoists, a ministry official said. The Prime Minister heads the cabinet committee on infrastructure, which gave...