-Hindustan Times New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre whether its decision to bring in demonetisation was taken in absolute secrecy while hearing a bunch of petitions questioning the Narendra Modi government’s rationale behind the implementation of the policy. “When you made the policy on demonetisation, was it confidential?” the top court asked. Chief Justice TS Thakur also asked why the Centre’s order granting LIMit of Rs 24,000 per day...

-The Hindu People migrating due to environmental disasters should be accorded ‘refugee’ status in international law An increasing number of people globally are facing displacement due to droughts, famines, rising sea levels and other natural disasters caused by cLIMate change. This class of migrants has been labelled as ‘environmental refugees’ in popular literature. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, an international body reviewing trends of internal displacement, an estimated 24 million...

-TheWire.in To oppose the forest department’s plan to LIMit open grazing, the pastoral community is formally pursuing their collective land rights through the Forest Rights Act. The sun has not yet decided to rise. It’s pitch black out but a group of Maldharis has already assembled for the last session of this year’s milking competition. Their massive buffalos are majestically adorned with intricate garlands and colourful necklaces. The panch (group of five...

-Livemint.com The increase in bank balance in Jan Dhan accounts is not extraordinary as they are being used as much as regular bank accounts, following demonetisation Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts are in focus again thanks to the new notification by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposing withdrawal LIMits on such bank accounts. The ostensible reason for this is concern that such accounts might be being used to convert...

-Down to Earth A high level UN panel on Access to Medicines wants members to make full use of TRIPS flexibilities to protect public health If ever India needed a clear endorsement of its laws on intellectual property rights (IPRs) and their application in meeting public health priorities, it has come from the highest quarters. The report of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel (HLP) on Access to Medicines has, directly...