A Supreme Court-appointed panel has found large-scale illegal mining in Karnataka, particularly in the state's iron-ore rich Bellary district. The illegal activity was taking place in connivance with officials, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) said in its report submitted to the court in New Delhi Friday. The CEC also found that between 2003 and 2010, over 30 million tonnes of iron ore had been exported from Karnataka without valid permits. As the CEC...

The burgeoning movement against corruption set off by social activist Anna Hazare appears to be turning into an undemocratic battle for power without votes or elections, sections of Indian economists and sociologists have said. Tens of thousands of Indians across the country have pledged their alliance with the movement led by Hazare —from schoolchildren yanked by teachers out of classes to slogan-shouting municipal workers, from preachers to actors to lawyers. But some...

Bangalore Urban with a population of 95.88 lakh (95,88,910) is the most populous district in the State with a decadal growth of 46.68 per cent as against the State average of 15.67 per cent, according to the provisional Census 2011 data released here on Wednesday. Bangalore Urban district accounts for 15.69 per cent of the State's population. In 2001, the population of Bangalore Urban district was 65,37,124, which was 12.37 per...

A group of citizens including several senior scientists has called on the Centre to review its nuclear power policy for appropriateness, safety, costs, and public acceptance, and conduct an independent and transparent safety audit of its nuclear facilities. The group, including P. Balaram, director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, economist Jean Dreze, and A. Gopalakrishnan, the former director of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, has said that while this...

The debate on genetically modified crops is gaining momentum again. However, this time, it seems the engineered food is losing ground to traditional crops. Eleven farmers from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu made a series of submissions explaining the havoc wrought by Bt cotton on their farms. Their main contention was that Bt cotton had not given them economic benefits. As a matter of fact, they had become poorer, their soils had...