-PTI Dehradun: The blame game over Uttarakhand deluge escalated on Sunday with the Meteorological department saying it had issued "timely" warnings of heavy rains and landslides but the state government claimed these were not "specific". The assertions by the MeT department and the state government, two weeks after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides that ravaged Uttarakhand, came amid questions whether the administration ignored the warnings and whether large-scale deaths in the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would ensure smooth panchayat polls in West Bengal after the State Election Commission rushed with a petition accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of playing truant in providing adequate security forces for a free and fair voting process. "We will ensure smooth conduct of panchayat elections in West Bengal," the Supreme Court said on Wednesday, displaying steely resolve to defuse...

-The Times of India Of the five million odd graduates that India produces annually, only a little over half are employable in any sector of the knowledge economy. Inadequate English and computer skills are key factors holding back students, especially those from smaller towns. The National Employability Report by Aspiring Minds, an employability solutions company, revealed this, based on the computer adaptive test on 60,000 Indian graduates. The students were tested Communication...

-The Telegraph Kolkata: Sebi has barred Alchemist Infra Realty Ltd from continuing its collective investment scheme and ordered that investors, several of whom are said to be in Bengal, be refunded within three months. The capital market watchdog's order said the company had denied it had anything to do with Alchemist Group, which is run by the family of K.D. Singh, a Rajya Sabha member from the Trinamul Congress. Some party leaders...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: As a humongous natural calamity grips Uttarakhand, it is now emerging that the state has had no disaster management plan worth its name despite the region being highly disaster prone due to fragile mountains, tectonic activity and climatic events. A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) released as recently as on April 23 this year says that the State Disaster Management Authority, which was formed in October...