-Live Mint Proposal aimed at beefing up security, besides making sure development reaches neglected parts of India A day after the government pledged the partial decontrol of sugar in the next fortnight, the Union cabinet on Thursday approved a set of significant measures aimed at tackling Maoist insurgency and asserting its strategic hold over an area claimed by neighbouring China.   The measures approved involve upgrading rural road connectivity with special emphasis on...

-The Hindustan Times It is a small step that can add up to a big change. A government department has started putting online important policy files relating to the right to information law, beginning with documents that provide an insight into selection of central information commissioners. “We have received approval to upload all important files on the site — persmin.nic.in — once the final decision has been taken and the matter is...

-Outlook While great awareness has been raised about sexual violence against women in India, much less is known about the problem of sexual abuse of children' Summary The rape and murder of a student in New Delhi on December 16, 2012, followed by large public protests, has led to a great deal of soul searching about the problem of sexual violence in India. Politicians, lawyers, women’s rights activists, and an independent government...

-Outlook Country's foodgrain production is estimated to decline by 3.5 per cent to 250.14 million tonne in 2012-13 crop year as Poor rains have hit rice and coarse cereal crops, but the government said the output will be enough to meet the demand. The foodgrain production was a record 259.32 million tonne in 2011-12 crop year (July-June). "We had produced about 260 million tonne foodgrains last year. This year, we have crossed 250...

-The Hindu In his article in The Hindu (editorial page, “Making a mockery of domestic gas pricing,” January 18, 2013, Surya P. Sethi attacks the gas pricing formula proposed by the Rangarajan Committee, curiously enough, for being based on numbers from foreign markets that do not reflect the supply, demand or cost of production in India. I say “curiously” because on the exact opposite side, domestic producers are also pillorying the committee’s...