Thousands of people here today attended the last rites of the farmer who was allegedly killed in the police lathi charge at Kot Dunna village last evening. The farmers were protesting against the acquiSITion of their land for a thermal plant at Gobindpura in Mansa. The district administration has agreed to give Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased farmer, besides recommending a job for one member...

The Mamata Banerjee ministry will not accept government role in land acquiSITion for the private sector even under the private-public partnership model, except in “specific and limited SITuations”, sources said after a cabinet meeting this evening. A “final decision” on the state government’s poSITion on the draft National Land AcquiSITion and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill is still to be taken. Mamata asked the group of ministers led by Partha Chatterjee entrusted with...

The Central Zone that comprises the three States of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh has about six million orphan children (under 18 years), and this figure will shoot up to 7.6 million by 2021, says a new study, “India -- National Child Vulnerability SITuation Analysis Report”, conducted by SOS Children's Villages of India. The Central Zone is followed closely by the East Zone which has about 5.20 million orphans and...

The recent estimates of employment and unemployment from the 66th round (2009-10) of the National Sample Survey (NSS) belie any hopes that the growth of the Indian economy between 2004-05 and 2009-10 has been inclusive. Employment has expanded by only a million jobs during this period. Not only is this lowest ever growth recorded in any such period, the fact that it occurred during the period of highest growth in...

-The Deccan Herald   Agriculture Minister Umesh Katti has declared that the Government will not allow trials of genetically modified (GM) crops in the State. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday in Bangalore, the Minister said Karnataka had opposed Bt brinjal, and if media reports on Bt maize and Bt paddy trials in Bijapur and Koppal were true, the Government would oppose them as well. Katti said the State is firmly opposed to testing, research...