-The Business Standard Terming the debate over poverty numbers of a poor quality, chief economic advisor in the finance ministry Kaushik Basu today said even if different yardsticks were adopted, roughly the same conclusions would be drawn on decline in the number of people below the poverty line, between 2004-05 and 2009-10, as was estimated by the Planning ComMISsion. The decline in the number during the period was the sharpest in any...

A new study questions safety assessments of Bt brinjal, asks for an independent regulator Does it matter if the gene introduced in Bt brinjal varies from the natural brinjal by 70 amino acids rather than by one? What if the regulators in the country fail to detect this and rubber stamp a genetically-engineered vegetable on the basis of the preMISe submitted by the company that produced it — Mahyco in...

-The Times of India Faced with a looming embarrassment over the disclosure of irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday sought to play down the findings of the auditor, asserting that his final report would spare the government. Speaking against the backdrop of Opposition's criticism and its demand for a CBI probe into what is being called " Coalgate", Mukherjee said that that the report scooped...

To lose bank guarantees for its four power plants in Rajasthan The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has found Lanco Infratech guilty of false comMISsioning of solar power plants in Rajasthan. The company will now lose its first set of bank guarantees for the remaining four solar photovoltaic plants in Rajasthan. It has already lost bank guarantees of three other plants being set up in the state after...

-PTI Despite initiating steps to prevent crime in trains and stations, there has been an increase in cases of MISconduct against women passengers. As per data available with the Railways, a total of 712 cases including rape, murder, robbery and eve-teasing were reported against women and children in railway preMISes in 2011 as against 501 cases in the previous year. There were 15 rape and 362 eve-teasing cases reported in 2011 as against...