-The Business Standard Despite industry's worries, land Bill cannot be delayed  The meeting of the Union CABinet last Thursday was, by the standards of the United Progressive Alliance ( UPA) government at least, quite effective. In what Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has called the UPA’s “slog overs”, several policy changes were announced, and proposed laws cleared. Perhaps the most important was the approval of the long-awaited changes to India’s colonial-era land...

-The Economic Times The oil ministry may raise prices of diesel by Re 1 a litre or that of cooking gas by Rs 100 to neutralise the impact of its plan to increase the supply of subsidised cylinders to households, government officials said. "A Re 1 hike in diesel prices would generate about Rs 8,000 crore a year, which is sufficient for three additional cylinders in a year. About Rs 100 hike...

-Outlook Congress president Sonia Gandhi today strongly backed the Centre's new Direct Benefit Transfer system that will ensure cash transfer directly in the hands of beneficiaries of various schemes, saying it is in line with many other "revolutionary" measures taken by the UPA. Gandhi, who is also UPA Chairperson, also announced her intent to bring the much-talked out Food Security Bill in Parliament soon to ensure that no poor family remains hungry. She...

-The Hindu THE SUNDAY STORY In 2007, energy sector (including power, transport, residential electricity was responsible for 58 per cent of emissions, industry for 22 per cent and agriculture, 17 per cent. After focussing on the international climate change negotiations in Doha earlier this month, the spotlight is shifting back to the domestic scene. India can point the finger at the failure of rich countries to check the growth of their greenhouse...

-The Hindu In a sensational development that impacts the Internet, a group of mainly African nations moved and won a resolution accompanied by a set of binding treaty-based International Telecom Regulations (ITRs) at the UN’s World Conference on Internet and Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai. The move was supported by China, Russia and mostly Arab states. At the last count, 89 countries had endorsed the global treaty on telecom regulations by Friday, with nearly...