-Livemint.com Courts are finally protecting individual liberty in prohibition and beef ban cases The politics of alcohol consumption and cow slaughter have, of late, run roughshod over issues of constitutional law and philosophy. The Patna high court’s recent judgement on prohibition in Bihar—especially when read together with the Bombay high court’s earlier beef ban verdict—is a necessary redressal of the balance. These judgements are a nuanced look at how the relationship...

-Business Standard Oil marketing firms to help Citizens enroll for unique identity number Subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders will now be available only those who have with Aadhaar cards. Those who do not have the unique identity number will be required to enroll for it in order to continue availing the subsidy. After the passage of the Aadhaar law and its attendant regulations, the ministry of petroleum and natural gas notified the...

-Down to Earth A new report by the World Bank finds that extreme poverty is falling globally A new World Bank study on poverty and shared prosperity says that extreme poverty continues to fall worldwide despite the lethargic state of the global economy. However, the report warns that given projected growth trends, reducing high inequality may be necessary for reaching the goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030. In 60 out of the...

-The Hindu Business Line By allowing children to work in family enterprises, amendments to the Child Labour Act have made them more vulnerable to exploitation. Tracking the issue will be more difficult, writes Preeti Mehra When the two houses of Parliament put their stamp on a few amendments to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 a couple of months ago, they also signed away the dignity of children and the...

-PTI New Delhi: Expressing their resistance against GM-mustard, thousands of people joined ‘Sarson Satyagraha’ in 18 states on Gandhi Jayanti today, asserting the hybrid variety is “unwanted, unneeded and unsafe“. The ‘Satyagraha’ took various forms ranging from Gram Sabha resolutions to remain GM-free to take part in a mustard festival, organised by the Delhi government to gather public feedback on GM mustard. Eminent Citizens, scientists, film personalities, farmer leaders, artists, and activists took...