-The Hindu Bangalore: Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA M. Srinivas has been booked by the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) for grabbing five acres of government land in Kaggalipura village, Uttarahalli hobli, in Bangalore South, which was meant for landless farmers. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader, in the thick of his re-election campaign, allegedly sanctioned the land to his supporters as president of the Bagair Hukum Committee, said BMTF sources. The April 20 first information...

-The Times of India KOLKATA: The inferno triggered in a million homes by the Saradha meltdown has singed the ruling Trinamool Congress. The heat was palpable at an informal meeting of Trinamool MPs at Parliament's Central Hall on Tuesday when the knives were out against the tainted partymen who have harmed Didi's Ma-Mati-Manush image. With Sudipta Sen in custody, at least two heads in the Trinamool are set to roll, say party...

-Rediff.com   Born in Mumbai's infamous red-light district, Shweta Katti has won a scholarship to the Bard College, New York. This is her story. Shweta Katti is warming up to the media attention she's been receiving lately. She has had a long day but has agreed to meet me at a coffee shop for what must have been the nth interview she's giving in the last 48 hours. It is close to 10 in...

-Live Mint The experience of Kerala and Tripura shows how panchayati raj can help in the empowerment of women Chulubari (Tripura)/Kanjikuzhy (Kerala): Her relatives warned Hena Das, a resident of Chulubari in Tripura, against taking up political office because it wasn't "meant for women". Das disregarded the warnings. Two years on, she has no regrets. She also has no male colleagues; her fellow representatives on the board of an 12-member panchayat are all...

-The Telegraph The Prime Minister today tipped civil servants on technology's power to carry government services to the remotest Corners. He might have been surprised to learn that closer home, it was a different story. At the capital's seat of power, the babus are beating technology hands down. In 2009, then home minister P. Chidambaram had introduced a biometric attendance system to ensure punctuality in his ministry. He himself was often seen holding...