-The Telegraph Calcutta: A young man who flew in from Delhi for 16 hours just to cast his vote has provided a clue why Bengal has recorded the highest number of votes under the Nota (none of the above) option among the five poll-bound states. The man in his 30s, who works with a global watchmaker, said he spent Rs 20,000 on air tickets to cast a Nota vote because not one...

-The Tribune Chandigarh: While Punjab is increasingly increasing using canal water for drinking on account of high toxicity in the ground water, it will now pump out this water for irrigation purposes. The new tubewell connections – 1.25 lakh - will not just deplete the state’s already depleted water table, but water pumped up from these tubewells pose a risk of contaminating the food grains and vegetables grown in the fields. Sources in...

-The Hindu Business Line In Sirsa, Haryana’s westernmost district, the fight to end female foeticide includes tip-offs, thrilling chases and decoys “Chhori hai ! Kal marna tha , aaj mar gayi” (It’s a girl! She’ll have to die tomorrow, she died today). Deputy civil surgeon Viresh Bhushan’s face twists into a grimace as he recalls the incident at Sirsa’s Civil Hospital four years ago. A grandmother in her fifties had strangled to...

-The Indian Express The IT Act forbids the income tax department from sharing income details of an assessee unless the Central government specifies an officer, authority or body to receive the data to perform his or its functions under a law. Soon you will have to submit a copy of your income tax return (ITR) every year to the LPG dealer to claim subsidy on cooking gas cylinders. With the voluntary GiveItUp...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Out of every 100 death sentences that trial courts pronounce, less than five are upheld by higher courts. About 30% of the remaining prisoners are acquitted, and the sentence is commuted for the rest. What happens to all the people trapped in the maws of criminal justice system, condemned to death? No ministry or agency has a record of how many people India has executed since...