-The Hindu In a relief to the Centre, the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the government's proposal to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail trade (MBRT) saying the move did not suffer from any unconstitutionality, illegality, arbitrariness or irrationality. A three-judge bench of Justices R.M. Lodha, Madan B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph said "consumer is king and if that is the philosophy working behind the policy then what is wrong...

-The Hindu Business Line   Arsenic and fluoride contaminated water has condemned millions to live wasted lives in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Business Line visited several villages in the affected regions for this special report by A. Srinivas. Sixty-nine-year-old Renubala Ari of Deganga village in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district is counting her last days. But it is not her death that worries her. Blind in both eyes and with painful...

-The Hindu "We are trying to strengthen the humint component " Amid indications of no major headway in last week's blast outside the State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Bangalore, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday again pushed for the controversial National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) that would strengthen intelligence set up of the States. "We are trying to strengthen the ‘humint' (human intelligence) component in our intelligence agencies. That will...

-Frontline PESA, which is seen as an enabling law for tribal self-governance, is violated brazenly by both the Union government and State governments in the name of development. SINCE October 2012, the Ministry of Rural Development of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has apparently been engaged in an exercise to evolve a "National Land Reforms Policy". Over these months, the Ministry wrote to various State governments, highlighting the importance of...

-The Economic Times The government plans to significantly liberalise foreign direct investment (FDI) norms for single-brand retail to attract big bucks into the sector. The finance ministry has asked the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) to amend the policy to allow single-brand retailers to bring different brands belonging to the same product line under one company. It has also asked DIPP - the government department that frames foreign investment rules...