A Supreme Court-appointed committee finds large-scale illegal mining in Karnataka with the connivance of officials. THE issue of illegal mining in Karnataka and the large-scale corruption in political and public life resulting from it refuses to stay away from the headlines. The sordid tale of mining-linked corruption (Cover Story; Frontline, July 16, 2010) has had a few recurring characters – a beleaguered but defiant Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Minister B.S....

Union housing ministry on Monday pledged to make the capital slum -free within a stipulated timeframe. The drive is part of UPA-II’s ambitious initiative of Rajeev Awas Yojana (RAY), which aims to create a slum-free India. A high-profile meeting — called by housing minister Kumai Selja and attended by Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit — decided to chart out an action plan for a slum-free Delhi. Sources said it was decided...

Minister Krishna Tirath stresses the need for proper implementation of women and child development schemes The lowest-ever child sex ratio of 914 overshadowed an increase in the overall sex ratio, which is now 940 — the highest nationwide since Census 1971 and a shade lower than 1961 — as it reflects a continued preference for a male child. As per the provisional data of Census 2011 released here on Thursday, while...

This is a collection of 45 select articles written by M.S. Swaminathan over the past 20 years. Arranged in six sections, they cover ‘sustainable development in Indian agriculture', ‘technology and evergreen revolution', ‘sustainable food security', ‘agrarian crisis', ‘WTO and Indian farmers', and ‘shaping India's agricultural destiny'. As Jeffrey Sachs says in his foreword, Swaminathan had “recognised already in the early days of India's green revolution that the new breakthroughs could create...

Bihar will roll out unique identification numbers for "aam aadmi" -- beneficiaries of social sector schemes -- within 35-36 months. The move will help in curbing pilferage and corruption. The decision was taken at a meeting of Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. The Commission has finalised Rs 24,000 crore plan size for the state for next fiscal. Kumar cited that the plan size was...