-The Indian Express In 2016, south interior Karnataka recorded 22 per cent deficit rainfall during the southwest monsoon season (June-September). Reservoir levels in the Cauvery basin have fallen lower with back-to-back monsoon failure and Karnataka is headed to Assembly elections in barely eight months. If Maharashtra, particularly Marathwada, was the epicentre of drought in 2014 and 2015, that has now seemingly shifted deep southward to a stretch covering the old Mysore region...

-Hindustan Times Ever since the goods and services tax (GST) was brought to force, there has been a 60% fall in the demand for plywood, owing to the tax rate of 28% on furniture goods. Situated on the outskirts of Ludhiana city in Hambran, is a small plywood manufacturing unit. Until last month, the manufacturing unit had a 110-strong workforce. But now the owner, Wazir Sood, has temporarily laid off 70 workers....

-Hindustan Times Supreme Court asks Centre and states not to protect any kind of vigilantism and sought their response on violent incidents related to cow protection across the countr New Delhi: The government does not support cow vigilantism and it was for the states to crack down on such self-styled groups, the country’s top law officer told the Supreme Court on Friday. Solicitor general Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, said law and...

-The Indian Express Aadhaar card privacy issue: The bench comprising of Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, and Justices DY Chandrachud, J Chelameswar, SA Bobde and Abdul Nazeer, passed the order on Tuesday. New Delhi: A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Monday referred the Aadhaar matter to a larger bench to decide whether linking of the pan card with the 12-digit biometric identification number would breach privacy. The bench comprising...

-The Indian Express Government has an opportunity to enhance use of social audit to monitor schemes In contrast to its rhetoric, the current government’s record on transparency, accountability, and citizen participation has been uninspiring. Even essential laws such as the Lok Pal and the Whistle Blower Protection Act are yet to be operationalised. However, recent developments on social audits, the conduct of which actually finds a place in the BJP’s 2014...