-The Hindu   On the orders of the Special Lokayukta Court here, the Lokayukta police on Thursday filed FIR against three former Chief Ministers as well as 11 senior civil servants of Karnataka. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, and MPs N. Dharam Singh and H.D. Kumaraswamy will be investigated by the Lokayukta police in a case in which they have been accused of complicity in the alleged multi-crore mining scam. The investigating agency will...

Holding that procedural safeguards for protection of personal liberty must be strictly followed, the Supreme Court has quashed the preventive detention of four persons under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act. A Bench of Justices A.K. Ganguly and J.S. Khehar, quoting a catena of decisions, held that in preventive detention cases, representations from the detenus must be disposed of expeditiously and every day's delay must be...

Sehal Sagar village in Rajasthan has won the national water award instituted by the water resources ministry Nestled in Rajasthan’s bone-dry Tonk district, Sehal Sagar village boasts of lush green fields, wells full to the brim and healthy cattle. The surprise transformation has been possible because the village follows rainwater harvesting and develops its pasture land. Sehal Sagar has an elaborate network of ponds, canals and chaukas which ensure that every drop...

Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh today questioned the policy of providing free electricity to farmers in certain states, saying excessive pumping by cultivators had led to a depletion in groundwater levels. “In district after district, groundwater tables are falling. And there is no doubt that free electricity has caused excessive use of water. Our policies on pricing of water also do not lead to Conservation. So we have to rethink on...

But existing campaign should be built around land, water, forests: activist P.V. Rajagopal Narmada Bachao Andolan leader and Team Anna core committee member Medha Patkar on Tuesday said there was no move to start a parallel anti-corruption movement. She was reacting to a news story inThe Hindu quoting renowned water Conservationist Rajendra Singh about the possibility of a new anti-corruption group emerging, following a meeting of water sector workers at the Gandhi...