-Down to Earth KV Prabhu says controversial changes noticed recently on his organisation’s website could have been made well before his tenure started The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FR) will work to protect farmers’ Rights over plant varieties, its chairperson has reiterated to Down To Earth (DTE) after a controversy erupted recently over changes in its booklet. On December 10, 2019, farmer organisations and activists had sent a letter...

-Hindustan Times Jharkhand is a mandate of the poor, for their Rights The verdict for the Jharkhand assembly is, first and foremost, a verdict in favour of a new localism, and is a reflection of people’s voice overwhelming the arena of state elections in India. One key issue, which helps frame the meaning of the verdict, is the struggle of adivasis against purported amendments to their land Rights by the Raghubar Das-led Bharatiya...

-The Hindu * How is the National Population Register compiled? How is it related to citizenship and the decennial census? And, can States refuse cooperation with the NPR process? The story so far: As protests spread all across the country against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019 and the proposed National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC), West Bengal and Kerala suspended work related to the preparation and update of the National Population...

-The Hindu It is targeted as an insidious provision as it confers almost unbridled powers upon executive officers India’s criminal justice architecture continues to reflect its colonial heritage, both on paper and in practice. This is perhaps reflected best in the vibrant and unfettered invocation of Section 144 in the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 [“Cr.P.C.”], which confers upon executive officers such as executive magistrates or sub-divisional magistrates, unimaginable powers for passing orders...

-The Hindu Activities on upgrade of register stayed, says govt. order In a major boost to the civil Rights movement in West Bengal, the State government withdrew activities related to the National Population Register (NPR) on Monday. The notice issued by the Census Cell of the Home and Hill Affairs Department automatically revokes an earlier order when the government departments were instructed to list the names of junior officials to compile the...