-The Telegraph New Delhi: A Union government panel has found evidence of rampant illegal mining along the Yamuna in Gautam Budh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh where the suspension of an IAS officer who had cracked down on the sand mafia has snowballed into a political controversy. A three-member panel set up by the environment ministry said there has been "rampant, unscientific and illegal mining" at several sites along the river in violation...

-The Telegraph A study on a globally endangered bird whose safety once prompted the defence ministry to scrap a surveillance set-up has called for stronger conservation efforts in its only home, an Andaman island, despite a "heartening" increase in numbers. The study on the Narcondam Hornbill, found only on the Narcondam island in Andaman and Nicobar, has emphasised the need to "minimise" habitat disturbance. The island has no human habitation, though it...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Taking on the rampant money and muscle power in politics, a new political party, Nav Bharat Democratic Party, was launched on Thursday, promising clean candidates and transparent democracy. The party helmed by a motley group of professions, including a retired naval officer, entrepreneurs, lawyers and others, promised to provide an accountable government. The party will field candidates, including working professionals, entrepreneurs and veteran politicians, weaned away...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has disapproved of the process the Planning Commission and the Centre follow to identify below poverty line (BPL) people, adding to the recent controversy over a 15 per cent reduction in poverty. The standing committee on finance, headed by the BJP's Yashwant Sinha, has outlined flaws in the methodology followed by the Planning Commission and the government to identify the poor. The measure is key...

-Outlook Thane: Maharashtra's Minister for Tribal Development Madhukar Pichad admitted here on Monday that large scale malnutrition deaths occurred in Thane district of Maharashtra due to non-availability of proper medical infrastructure and healthcare facilities. Pichad said this while visiting the predominently tribal Jawhar and Mokhada talukas of Thane district on Monday, where large scale child deaths have been reported since the last three months. It may be recalled that it was way back...