-Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi: At a time when MPs are not seen to take their legislative business seriously - the last session was an exception - the younger MPs seem to be slowly making their mark and impact in the Lok Sabha. Cutting across party lines, young members have scored higher on many fronts, especially attendance which was higher for them than the overall average. Meenakshi Natrajan, the Congress MP from Mandsaur...

-PTI   A Bill seeking to prohibit employment of individuals as manual scavengers and providing for rehabilitation of those involved in this work and their families through jobs and other provisions was passed by the Lok Sabha today. Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Kumari Selja moved the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012 in the Lok Sabha. It was passed after a short discussion. The minister said the...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Lok Sabha today passed the protection and rehabilitation of scavengers bill, which had been on the backburner for years. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012, is aimed at amending and replacing the existing Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, which activists say remains just on paper. Bezwada Wilson, founder and national convener of the Safai Karmachari...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The goons and police can hang their heads in shame. Together, for once. The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha today with overwhelming support, with almost every speaker narrating how the police and criminals harass hawkers. The debate wove a tragic tale of exploitation and neglect of the poorest "entrepreneurs" of society while powerful support systems were available...

-Outlook The path-breaking Land Acquisition Bill was today one step short of becoming a law with Parliament giving its approval to it. Lok Sabha passed the amended version of the legislation, which seeks to provide fair and just compensation to farmers and to those who lose livelihood on account of acquisition. The bill, which was earlier passed by Lok Sabha last week, went through some amendments during its passage in the Rajya Sabha...