-Pratirodh.com The fanfare with which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi launched a service delivery scheme in Rajasthan based on the Aadhaar (foundation) unique identity (UID), and celebrated the issue of the first Aadhaar number topping the 200-million mark, should make the Indian National Congress a very worried party indeed—assuming it has a good survival instinct and basic grasp of practical politics.    To put it starkly, the Congress and...

-The New York Times Blog The strength and direction of the Indian economy may be up for debate, but one remarkable fact is not: There has been massive growth in the number and wealth of billionaires in India since the economic liberalization measures in 1991. The phenomenon has often been compared to the United States’ experience in the latter part of the 19th century. This was a period evocatively described by Mark...

-Outlook The Bombay High Court today directed Congress MP Naveen Jindal-owned Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, which has filed a Rs 200 crore defamation suit against a news channel, to submit the transcripts and records of the 'sting operation' on alleged extortion demand made by the channel. The order was passed by Justice S J Kathawalla, who was hearing the defamation suit filed by JSPL against Subhash Chandra, Puneet Goenka, Sudhir Chaudhary...

-The Business Standard SC decision to seek views on GM crops welcome  The Supreme Court’s decision to seek views of different stakeholders before considering a 10-year moratorium on field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops, as suggested by the technical committee it had appointed, is welcome. The committee’s recommendation had caused widespread disquiet among the scientific community, a section of the seed industry and farmers. If the recommendation was accepted by the...

-Outlook Rains and strong gales hit Nellore in Andhra Pradesh and other neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu under the influence of cyclonic storm 'Nilam'. The cyclone is expected to make a landfall this evening between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and Nellore, BRInging in heavy rains in the region with tide expected to reach levels of 1.5 meters. The Andhra Pradesh Government has put administration of the coastal districts under alert to face the...