Elected five months ago, panchayat members of the state can finally look forward to carrying out development work in their respective areas with the state cabinet approving two sets of rules to guide the rural bodies. Approved last week and set to be notified in the gazette in the next couple of days, the Jharkhand panchayat (mukhiya, upmukhiya, pramukh, uppramukh, zilla parishad chairman, vice-chairman ke shaktiya evam kritya) niyamavali, 2011, and...

TARN TARAN, India—India's northern state of Punjab was once a symbol of the nation's economic progress, its advances in agriculture lauded world-wide as a spectacular feat that made India self-sufficient in food production. But Punjab today faces a grave economic crisis, the result of years of shoddy governance that have stunted growth and created such a mound of public debt that the state is now seeking a multibillion dollar bailout from...

-The Hindu   Soon after being sworn in as Puducherry Chief Minister Founder leader of the All-India NR Congress N. Rangasamy was sworn in as Chief Minister of the Union territory for the third term at Raj Nivas on Monday at 3.20 p.m. Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Rangasamy. Immediately after the swearing-in function, Mr. Rangasamy visited his office in the Legislative Assembly and...

-The Hindu   The All-India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) has condemned the latest increase in the price of petrol by Rs.5 a litre. “The increase is unwarranted, particularly because international prices of oil had shown a declining trend in recent weeks. This is indeed a post-election gift to people from the UPA government,” a statement issued by AIDWA said on Monday. “For the common people, who were reeling under relentless price rise for...

Manasi Manna of Singur hopes that Mamata Banerjee will return her one-acre plot, which had been acquired for the Nano project, after taking charge as chief minister. “My husband and I used to cultivate the land. We used to get three crops a year. We never had to worry about food. Everything came from that land. But after it was forcibly taken away for the small-car project, I have been forced...