-The Hindu India’s IPR regime, never in the background, has come under sharp focus recently for a variety of reasons. It is ten years since India amended the Indian Patents Act, 1970 to bring its laws in line with the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The most important of those amendments related to the introduction of product patents for 20 years, including for pharmaceutical products. Significant safeguards were...

-Livemint.com The strike that was announced on Friday is to protest what unions called the anti-labour policies of the BJP-led ruling coalition New Delhi: Eleven trade unions plan to go on strike on 26 May, the first anniversary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, to protest what they called the anti-labour policies of the ruling coalition. The strike was announced on Friday as three ministers met national...

-The Tribune Grains Of Discontent: The damage to wheat crop due to untimely rain and hailstorm, followed by delayed payments, this rabi season has further stressed Punjab’s farmers. While the cost of farm inputs has risen manifold over the past few years, the profit margin is on a constant decline, thus making farming unviable. Unable to bear losses, several farmers have committed suicide in recent past As the day breaks, he enters...

-The Hindu The State’s recent experience shows that even the worst-governed States can reform their public distribution system and make good use of the National Food Security Act. “In Lalu’s days we had a lal card [BPL card], with Nitish we got coupons, and when Manjhi came we got this new ration card”. This is how Anuj Paswan, a Dalit resident of Tetar village in Gaya district, sees recent changes in Bihar’s...

-The Indian express The I&B Ministry has asked all ministries to furnish success stories from states over the last one year in the flagship schemes implemented by them. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly trashed it, and Union minister Nitin Gadkari slammed it in an internal note, the Rural Development Ministry is learnt to have included the “success stories” of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in the list of...