-Economic and Political Weekly After coming to power in 2014, the National Democratic Alliance government took several measures to dilute the pro-poor provisions of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013. Though it has backed down, several questions remain over the way the Modi government has dealt with the issue of land acquisition. Santosh Verma (santosh.econ@gmail.com) is at the Council for Social Development, New Delhi. Land acquisition—by private corporations or the state—has raised vital...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Shying away from a blanket ban on death penalty the Law Commission is likely to recommend "gradual" abolition in all cases, except terror-related ones, as practiced in countries like the United Kingdom. Following extensive consultations, the panel has proposed that heinous crimes be meted out harsher punishments ranging from 30-60 years as practiced in states like Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The panel headed by Justice A P Shah...

-Odisha Sun Times Bhubaneswar: The depleting groundwater level in the Odisha capital has become a major cause of concern for planners. In the past five years, the groundwater level has shrunk by as much as  in major areas of the capital city, according to a survey. With monsoon playing truant, deficit rainfall and excessive drawing of ground water through bore wells in the absence of pipe water supply has contributed to groundwater depletion. Chandrasekharpur...

-The Hindu The ‘development’ discourse serves the same purpose as the colonial apparatus but without the bad press. After 67 years of failing to eliminate deprivation in India, is it time to look for new ideas? The Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, which hit the headlines earlier this month, tells us that half the households in rural India are landless, dependant on casual manual labour, and live in deprivation. By suggesting...

-Deccan Herald Many of India's agricultural practices have barely changed in decades. Reform is long overdue. Nearly a quarter of a century after India launched its first big liberalising reforms in 1991, setting off a new spurt of growth, one area of the country’s economy remains hardly touched: farming. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a 24-hour, state-run television channel for farmers in May, but has fostered no public debate about how to improve...