If pain had a face, it could be Narayan Sonawane’s. The 45-year-old Dalit farmer keeps scratching a shaving wound on his face till it bleeds, and makes him flinch. The pain, perhaps, momentarily takes his mind off the gruesome reality outside his hut — a seven acre plot that used to be a Dalit cremation ground until a year ago. In June 2010, it was usurped by upper caste Maratha farmer...

The underlying assumption of the proposed Land Acquisition Bill seems that the price paid to farmers is unreasonably low due to dominant power of industrial buyers, requiring government intervention. The draft, however, may neither accelerate the pace of land acquisition for industry nor overcome the psychological barriers of landowners that impede land transfers. First, the psychological barriers that limit supply. One of the main reasons for the farmers’ (and land dependents’)...

The basic problem with the Approach Paper, as with its predecessor, is that its theoretical paradigm is wrong. WHAT used to be said of the Bourbon kings of France applies equally to the Indian Planning Commission: “They learn nothing and they forget nothing.” The Approach Paper to the Twelfth Five-Year Plan gives one a sense of déjà vu. It is hardly any different from the Approach Paper to the previous Plan...

-The Hindu   The death toll in the recent violence at Gopalgarh in Bharatpur district went up to 10 with one of the injured persons breathing his last at the Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital here early on Monday morning. The deceased, 40-year-old Shabbir, was hospitalised in a serious condition after the September 14 clash. A resident of Pathrali village near Gopalgarh town, Shabbir had sustained injuries caused by pellets and also had...

-PTI   Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday urged the riot-affected people of Gopalgarh area in Bharatpur to restore harmony and not pay attention to provocative statements given by some "irresponsible public representatives". Gehlot was on a visit to the area which witnessed communal clashes on September 14 following dispute on a public land. Nine people were killed and several injured in the riots. The chief minister said there were some "irresponsible public...