-The Times of India It was a rainy July evening ten years ago. A motley group of villagers from Sutia gathered at the local market to protest the spate of rapes that had left the area terrorized. They were angry but terrified of reprisal. And they did not know if anyone would join the fight. Speaking in hushed tones, they distributed leaflets asking people to join the protest. Some took the...
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Tribal affairs ministry aims to break state control over tendu trade-Nitin Sethi
-The Times of India The trade in tendu patta, used for bidi making, is estimated to be worth an annual Rs 20,000 crore and is monopolized by state corporations, contractors, traders and even left-wing extremists. This could change now with the tribal affairs ministry asking states to break the monopoly of state corporations and let tribals sell it freely. Coming on the back of his remarks on the Bijapur killings, tribal affairs...
More »Unfair Tax: Mandi tax on grain procurement offers some states a double privilege
-The Economic Times State levies on grain purchase by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) will reportedly push up the Centre's food subsidy bill by Rs 10,000 crore this fiscal year. This is absurd and untenable. High taxes and commissions - 14.5% in Punjab and 10.5% in Haryana - on the minimum support price (MSP) of grain jack up the costs of procurement, drive private trade out of these markets, and set...
More »Day after exposé, it’s business as usual
-The Hindustan Times A day after Hindustan Times exposed the tout-officer nexus at the transport department’s zonal offices, nothing had changed on the ground. It was business as usual for touts and staff at the transport authority (as these zonal offices are referred to). Touts were busy striking deals with gullible applicants. Typists and agents of ‘notary public’ were seen attesting copies of documents needed for learners’ and permanent licences. Missing...
More »New Tatkal rules from today: Sales start at 10am
-The Times of India Amid increasing complaints about misuse of the Tatkal scheme, the railways has introduced a slew of measures that will come into effect from Tuesday. Under the revised scheme, passengers can book Tatkal tickets from 10am instead of 8am. No authorized agents, including those of IRCTC, will be allowed to book Tatkal tickets from 10am to 12pm over the counter as well as on the internet. While some zones will have...
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