-IANS The Delhi High Court has slammed the Delhi government for failing to respond to a plea by 172 farmers over takeover of their land using the urgency clause of the Land Acquisition Act.  A division bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Rajiv Shakedhar also fined the government Rs.5,000.  In a hearing March 6, the judges asked the government to explain why it acquired the land using the urgency clause and...

-The Hindu Business Line    The President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mr B. Muthuraman, on Thursday said that the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011, would cause a five-fold increase in land prices to the industry. “No industry will be able to afford that,” he said in an interaction with journalists, on the sidelines of a conference on the theme “Tamil Nadu: Vision 2025”. The Bill is expected to be presented...

The central government is finalizing a series of decisions to increase military presence across the Naxal belt in east and central India. Among them is a plan to raise the first Territorial Army battalion comprising local tribals.  While sources insisted that the strategy was to increase military presence and no operations were planned, the move could deny many local advantages enjoyed by the Naxals. With a locals-only 'Home and Hearth' battalion...

-The Indian Express   Yes, NGOs unaware of energy needs are blocking Koodankulam. But what are UPA’s plans? The Fukushima Daiichi power plant, an instant stick to beat the nuclear industry with, hosted first-generation nuclear reactors about to be decommissioned after 40 years of service when last year’s disaster struck. Since then, Fukushima has become a slogan for all those against the idea of nuclear power, feeding fears and building myths. It’s this...

-The Hindustan Times   On the night of February 5, a woman, on her way back from visiting a nightclub in Kolkata’s Park Street area, was raped inside the vehicle in which she had been offered a lift. Horrifying as it is, the violence perpetrated was not unique in the annals of urban crime. A mother of two, the 37-year-old was alone, her companions having already left. She had been drinking for a...