-The Indian Express Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government on Tuesday tabled an irrigation Bill in the Assembly which seeks to make it compulsory for farmers to get a licence to draw water from canal or ground well beyond a certain limit and prescribes penal action, including imprisonment, against the errant farmers. The Bill also seeks to charge farmers for irrigation water reaching any cultivated land within 200 metres of a canal either by...

-The Economic Times The Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme commenced with the initial rollout in 20 districts covering seven scholarship schemes. Another 23 districts will be covered by March this year. The intention is to link all government benefits to Aadhaar-based identification of beneficiaries and to channelise the cash benefits through Aadhaar-enabled bank accounts. Irrespective of the merits of translating some benefits delivered in kind like in PDS into their cash-equivalent, for...

-The Hindustan Times Bhopal: Chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) Usha Chaturvedi has said that children have constitutional right to free and compulsory education (RTE). The commission will play the role of an alert sentinel regarding implementation of these rights. She added that a separate cell would be constituted in the commission to monitor implementation of the RTE Act. Chaturvedi was addressing a one-day workshop of...

-First Post With 10 state assembly elections this year and the general election in the next, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) faces possibly its sternest challenge since it returned to power in 2009. It goes without saying that the forthcoming electoral tests have been compounded by the perceptibly declining political standing of the ruling alliance caused by multiple scams and economic stagnation. In addition, defeats in a series of elections ranging...

-PTI The postal department plans to enter the banking business with the Reserve Bank of India deciding to grant new bank licences to entities with credible track-record. Consultant appointed Sources said the Department of Posts, which has a strong foot print in rural areas, has appointed Ernst and Young (E&Y) as the consultant for the proposed ‘Post Bank’ “Ernst and Young is expected to submit a detailed project report by April, after which all...