-The Indian Express   How Chhattisgarh became a sanctuary, and then a laboratory, for Naxals Some time ago, Chhattisgarh hit the headlines because of a Maoist attack on state Congress leaders, in which V.C. Shukla and Mahendra Karma died. Since then, the Congress has accused the BJP government of a conspiracy, and some BJP leaders have accused former chief minister Ajit Jogi of being part of a conspiracy himself. Politicising this tragic episode...

-The Times of India BANGALORE: Ever wondered why the country is fast losing its forest cover? The simple answer is that large tracts of forest land are being handed over to public and private agencies in the name of development projects. Digest this: According to recent data acquired through RTI from the ministry of environment and forests by a group of environmentalists, the extent of forest land being diverted across the country...

-Tehelka.com There are few figures from the adivasi community in India who have made a bigger dent in the collective imagination of the country than Dayamani Barla. The "iron lady of Jharkhand" has been instrumental in articulating adivasi struggles against displacement and deprivation on national and international platforms. Dayamani, who was recently imprisoned in Jharkhand for her involvement in the Nagri people's movement, has won the first Ellen L Lutz Indigenous...

-The Telegraph Shillong: Perhaps for the first time, the South Garo Hills district administration has ordered all coal mining activities in the district to be stopped following deaths in mining areas caused by negligence. South Garo Hills deputy commissioner Chinmay Gotmare issued the order on Monday under Section 133 CrPC, which pertains to removal of nuisance. While issuing the order, Gotmare observed that it has been made to appear to him that coal...

-Live Mint The GoM findings, draft will be submitted to the Supreme Court before 10 July Taking a cue from last week's adverse comments by the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh constituted a group of ministers (GoM) to draft a law that will eventually seek to insulate the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from political influence. Finance minister P. Chidambaram, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, law minister Kapil Sibal and minister of...