Former Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan’s younger brother K.G. Bhaskaran, who had gone on medical leave following allegations of amassing wealth, today resigned as special government pleader in Kerala High Court. In his resignation letter, sent to advocate-general C.P. Sudhakara Prasad, Bhaskaran said he was resigning on health grounds. Prasad had earlier asked him to go on leave or quit. This is the second resignation following the media exposures on wealth...

In a boost to rural road network in the state, the Centre today approved a state government proposal to construct 2,005km of roads with Rs 548.58 crore, and 49 bridges to connect these roads with another Rs 96.09 crore, under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). The decision was taken by a high-powered committee set up by the Union rural development ministry to monitor PMGSY. The meeting in New Delhi...

An intense spell of cold weather has disrupted life across northern India, reportedly claiming two dozen lives. The capital, Delhi, has been badly hit by the cold snap, along with Indian-administered Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. In Leh in Kashmir, temperatures dropped to -23.6C - this winter's lowest - on Sunday, weather officials said. Delhi, which is experiencing one of its coldest winters in years, has been hit by thick fog which...

Every time Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh says no to a project, his critics give him a new label: Green fundamentalist, anti-business, anti-growth, obstructionist, Luddite and Dr. No. The job has rarely attracted so much attention, but Ramesh has turned a sleepy and apathetic ministry into a controversial one in recent months. His pronouncements have stopped projects worth billions of dollars, creating powerful enemies in industry and business. His political colleagues have...

Chief minister Arjun Munda plans to hold cabinet meetings in the districts in a bid to bring about transparency in governance. “We’ll start holding cabinet meetings in all the districts of Jharkhand, including the remote ones, after the budget session,” the chief minister said, after paying tributes to the martyrs of the 1948 mutiny in Kharsawan, about 55km from Jamshedpur, today. He added that his government would also ensure that officials actively...