-The Times of India AHMEDABAD: When Mahatma Gandhi promoted the use of khadi for cottage industries of India, little did he imagine that workers of this industry would have to openly rebel for being meted out step-motherly treatment by the government. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has not paid the 20% rebate on the production value of khadi to several khadi institutions for two years in a row, claim...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The goons and police can hang their heads in shame. Together, for once. The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha today with overwhelming support, with almost every speaker narrating how the police and criminals harass hawkers. The debate wove a tragic tale of exploitation and neglect of the poorest "entrepreneurs" of society while powerful support systems were available...

-The Telegraph Bhubaneswar: The Land Acquisition Bill passed by the Lok Sabha, which is being hailed as "revolutionary" by some, may hit the industrialisation drive in the state where a number of projects are caught in land tangles. The proposed law, which makes consent of 80 per cent of landholders in the project area mandatory for land acquisition in the case of private projects, is likely to suit protesters who have been...

-Frontline Riding roughshod over farmers' concerns, the Gujarat government notifies a project to develop the Mandal-Becharaji Special Investment Region, an industrial hub spread over 50,884 hectares, affecting 44 villages. But the villagers see it as a real estate scam and are determined to resist it. GUJARAT may soon have several new townships. The Narendra Modi-led government has proposed to set up 13 special investment regions (SIRs), which are essentially industrial hubs...

-The Hindustan Times The UPA government faces a key test in Parliament on Tuesday in passing its flagship food security bill, the same day the "game-changing" scheme is launched in three Congress-ruled states - Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand. Top ministers, along with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on Monday held a strategy meet on how to juggle major amendments, or alterations, proposed by the Opposition. Separately, food minister KV Thomas met Samajwadi Party...