-The Hoot Survey methodology is good at explaining correlations between past and existing attitudes, but is poor at predicting future behaviour. And surveys can end up making the elections sound like a horse race, says ANUP KUMAR A controversy has been brewing over banning pre-poll surveys in India. The issue is worthy of a serious discussion - especially when it comes to transparency in methodology and the relevance of pre-poll surveys...

-Economic and Political Weekly Public interest litigation has value as a tool for enhancing road safety. But it is unlikely to succeed if it asks courts to give directions to the government on a wide range of road safety policies, or if it asks for amendments to the law, or if it asks the judges to direct the government on desired legislation. It has a fair likelihood of success in a...

-The Times of India LUCKNOW: A number of 'Akhilesh Yadav Laptops' distributed free of cost to Intermediate-pass students by the Samajwadi Party government with much fanfare are up for grabs at throwaway price in open market and online. Several advertisements posted on the buy-and-sell websites are offering these laptops at a meagre Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000. The ads have been posted by some recipients in Agra, Aligarh, Lucknow and Varanasi and...

-Live Mint In the past year, ration cards are being replaced with smartcards that can track food doled out through the PDS system New Delhi: Mohanlal Kapoor, a street vendor in north India, holds a card entitling him to subsidized food for his wife and four children. To get supplies, the Kapoors must battle an estimated 15 million families in their state toting similar pieces of paper that they're not entitled...

-The Hindustan Times     Burning of agricultural waste in Punjab in India and Pakistan in the last one week may be the reason behind the thick smog that has engulfed entire northern India, according to new satellite images released by Nasa. Latest photographs released by US satellite agency showed hundreds of fire hot-spots (in red) across Punjab in India and Pakistan on October 27 and on November 5 confirming local pollution is not...