-The Hindu Boards are understaffed, have little time for meetings, inspection or regulation, says study Mumbai: Environmental protection seems to be in shaky hands with political appointees nominated to head state pollution control boards (SPCB) in some places. In one case, the educational qualification of the chairperson was tenth standard. In Karnataka, for instance, the chairperson of the SPCB is Vaman Acharya, a senior BJP leader. In Himachal Pradesh, it is Kuldip Singh...

-The Times of India BADOPAL (FATEHABAD): The undulating semi-arid landscape of Badopal village, about 10km from Fatehabad town, is a haven for blackbucks. About 500 blackbucks, deers, neelgai (blue bull) and other species inhabit the area, which has abundant food and other sources necessary for the survival of these animals. However, this habitat faces an uncertain future ever since Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) acquired around 185 acres of land...

-The Hindu Uttarakhand reiterates that our rulers have contemptuous disregard for the advice of the best scientists and would rather listen to contractors and builders to whom they are beholden for funds In the early 1980s, while doing research on the environmental history of Uttarakhand, I sometimes visited the library of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in Dehradun. Most of the journals in the library dealt with geology and earth sciences,...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Delhi now has the dubious distinction of being home to the most "honeymoon wives" - women abandoned by NRI husbands - in the country. The latest annual report of the NRI cell of the National Commission for Women (NCW) reveals that Delhi registered 59 such cases in 2012-13. Punjab, which has for years grappled with the problem of young brides abandoned within days or weeks of marriage, registered...

-The Indian Express Why the proposed national minimum wage is the wrong answer to questions of unemployment and poverty The recent national labour conference - a trade union love fest with little real employer participation - demanded a national minimum wage. The trade union demand is a predictable positioning of narrow self-interest as national interest but the government's acceptance of their demand is unfair, delusional and economically stupid. Unfair, because it pampers a...