-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Thursday asked the Centre to explore the possibility of extending the ban on diesel CABs to the entire National Capital Region (NCR) "even if the Motor Vehicles Act has to be amended" for the purpose. Justice Manmohan said he wanted the Union CABinet secretary to head a panel comprising secretaries of environment, transport and petroleum ministries to hammer out a plan...

-PTI Jharkhand Government Asks Centre to Declare State as Drought-Hit   Ranchi: Jharkhand government on Tuesday decided to recommend the Centre to declare the state as drought-hit following scanty rainfall this season. Additional Chief Secretary and in-charge of the CABinet department N N Pandey told reporters here that the decision was taken in a CABinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Raghubar Das. A physical verification found crop loss and decline in the levels of ground...

-The Hindu The observation by the Supreme Court that political leaders should not take criticism as a personal insult highlights a particular kind of intolerance that is rarely referred to in the ongoing debate on the subject: the inability of public figures to tolerate criticism and their repeated resort to criminal defamation proceedings to stifle adverse comment. Nothing exemplifies this as much as the 100-odd prosecutions launched by the government of...

-Economic and Political Weekly The importance of hand-washing in personal and public hygiene has evolved over the centuries. While the market with its countless number of soaps and hand-wash products for personal hygiene with the accompanying advertising has created a false sense of security, it is community hygiene implemented through public health measures that is really effective in the battle against disease. Lekha D Bhat (lekhabhatd@gmail.com) teaches at the Department of Social...

-Economic and Political Weekly Chennai floods show the vulnerabilities that arise from the neglect of urban planning. In the second week of November, flood-marooned people in Chennai had an unlikely Good Samaritan. The CAB service provider, Ola. As the city struggled to come to terms with its highest rainfall in 10 years, the CAB company pressed in boats from an aquatic adventure outfit and secured the services of professional rowers and fishworkers...