The Union Home Ministry is pressing ahead with pushing the Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2005 for consideration and passing in the budget session of Parliament, even though it was summarily rejected by the National Advisory Council, which is currently drafting an entirely new law.Expressing surprise, NAC sources told The Hindu that Chairperson Sonia Gandhi had communicated to the government that the Council was drafting a new Bill,...

The Supreme Court today spoke up for a 25 per cent school quota for the underprivileged, asking private schools who have challenged the Right to Education Act on this ground to explain how they were claiming a right to fill all their seats as they pleased. A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia, asked the schools to explain under what law they were claiming the right to decide their...

The Posco opponents have thrown a direct challenge to the police and civil authorities by breaking the road leading to Jtadhari, where the South Korean steel major has proposed to put up a captive port. The authorities are gearing up for starting work at the steel plant project site near Paradip after the union ministry of environment and foRest cleared Posco-India's proposal to set up a 12 million ton steel plant,...

Record high food prices are putting added pressure on the United Nations agency that helps feed nearly 100 million of the world’s pooRest people, with officials warning of a potential “perfect storm” combination of soaring costs, weather emergencies and political instability. “We are on red alert and we are continually assessing needs and reassessing plans and stand ready to assist,” UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Josette Sheeran told the...

The government today reviewed the prices and availability of sugar in domestic market in the backdrop of strong industry demand for allowing exports. An empowered group of ministers (EGoM) on food, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, however, did not take any decision in this regard due to the absence of three key ministers -- Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar , Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and Food Minister K V Thomas. "Sugar was...