-The Telegraph Shillong: The Centre has released more than Rs 37,000 crore to all the states as the first instalment of devolution according to the 14th Finance Commission recommendations. From among the northeastern states, in the first instalment released for the financial year 2015-16, Assam will receive Rs 1,242.76 crore, Arunachal Pradesh Rs 516.48 crore, Manipur Rs 231.27 crore, Meghalaya Rs 240.75, Mizoram Rs 172.40 crore, Nagaland Rs 186.68 crore, Tripura Rs...

-The Hindu The new ordinance incorporates the nine amendments adopted by the Lok Sabha. President Pranab Mukherjee signed on Friday the new Land Acquisition Ordinance recommended by the Union Cabinet on March 31, official sources told The Hindu. The earlier ordinance, which could not be converted into law, will lapse on April 5. The government move drew a sharp response from the Congress, which decried the government's "disregard" for parliamentary democracy and Prime...

-Frontline Interview with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh by TK Rajalakshmi THE Congress has been firm in its opposition to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Ministry for Rural Development under Jairam Ramesh in the previous UPA government drafted the 2013 Land Acquisition Bill, which the NDA government now seeks to amend. Excerpts from an interview with Jairam Ramesh: * Is your party...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The political class on Monday was a divided house on corporate houses directly picking the beneficiaries of their 'big money'. While the big parties led by Congress and BJP favoured the present system of corporate funding during the Election Commission's national consultation here on 'Political Finance and Law Commission's Recommendations', the Left, Trinamool Congress and JD(U) plumped for a system whereby entire corporate funding is funnelled...

-Business Standard Not to estimate poverty lines or absolute numbers; will take these from ongoing socio-eco caste census done by states, focus on impact of programmes Taking note of some hard lessons learnt by its predecessor, the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog would not estimate either poverty lines or the number of the poor in the country. The erstwhile Planning Commission, replaced by the Aayog, had got into a big controversy...