-Pratirodh.com The streets of the obscure town of Pandharkawda in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra have come to life. Hundreds of villagers crowd them for the weekly haat to buy their supplies of vegetables, spices, pulses and tobacco, while farmers throng shops selling seeds, pesticides, manure and farm commodities. Dressed in bright cotton sarees, women haggle with vendors. Even doctors, especially dentists, are having a busy day with long queues of patients...

-The Hindu The Leveson report on the British press should jolt the Indian media into acting against ills such as paid news, and focus on being an agent of progressive social change After an inquiry lasting a year, Lord Justice Leveson has delivered a damning verdict on the decades of “outrageous” behaviour by the media. If anything, this verdict would apply in even greater force to a large section (not all) of...

-The Hindu No consensus among UPA allies on FDI: Prakash Karat Patna: Ahead of the vote in Parliament on foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said here on Saturday that since parties with a majority were opposed to the policy, there was no consensus among the allies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on the issue. Asked about the dithering position of the...

-Rediff.com Bihar Rural Development Minister Nitish Mishra on Monday ordered an inquiry into the allegations that nearly 73 per cent of the funds allotted for implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in 38 districts of Bihar, between 2006 and 2012, have been embezzled by authorities "The department will inquire into the corruption and will conduct physical verification of all facts related to the scheme," Mishra said. The Bihar government...

-Outlook Mumbai: The Communist Party of India (CPI) today said that it will continue its opposition against FDI in retail. "We will continue our opposition against FDI in retail. If the voting takes place on FDI in Parliament, then we will vote against it," Gurudas Dasgupta told reporters here. With the stalemate in Parliament continuing over the FDI issue, Dasgupta said, "We feel it's wrong not to allow Parliament to function. The intentions...