-The Hindu Dantewada (Chhattisgarh): Of the six tribal women of Shamsetti village in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh who in 2009 gave statements in court that they had been gang-raped by Salwa Judum functionaries, three have now withdrawn their charges. Three key witnesses — family members of the women — have also retracted their statements. Some lawyers in Dantewada familiar with the case say that the women are withdrawing due to “severe pressure”...

-Deccan Herald Bangalore: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has requested the employers to furnish the Aadhaar numbers of their existing PF subscribers to embed the information in the bank accounts of beneficiaries.   The schemes of the EPFO involving transfer of benefits to beneficiaries have been identified for implementation of direct cash transfers from January 1, 2013. The Organisation has asked the employers to maintain the information in excel format till the...

-The Hindu On February 11, the Supreme Court issued notice to the government, seeking its response on making intelligence agencies accountable to Parliament. This question is pertinent and in some ways captures the sentiments expressed by many and best vocalised by two leaders in recent times. Vice-President Hamid Ansari had said in his 2010 speech on this subject “....responsibility to the legislature, and eventually to the electorate, is an essential element...

-The Hindu Draft Bill to be discussed on Tuesday After legislating the Right to Information and Education — and making a stab at the Right to Work and Food through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the Food Security Act respectively — the government’s next step seems to be aimed at legally upholding the right to a home of your own. On Tuesday, a task force set up by the...

-The Times of India Railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Tuesday announced many initiatives in his Rail Budget 2013 speech that will bring cheer to middle-income passengers. From better e-ticketing facilities to free wi-fi on select trains, the Railway Budget will lead to implementation of many passenger friendly measures. Here is a look at some of them: 1) e-ticketing through mobile phones. Project of SMS alerts to passengers providing updates on reservation status. In...