-PTI NAGPUR: Calling for corporate funding to political parties be stopped forthwith, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechuri today said instead the money should be donated to the Election Commission which can use it to help the candidates in their poll campaigns.  "The EC can help the candidates by providing them vehicles, fuel, drivers and also publish their posters and provide printed election material. This way all the candidates of respective parties...

-PTI Court agrees to examine the whole issue at length   The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to examine the Centre’s plea that sex workers should not be allowed to operate in the country under the cloak of working “with dignity” as suggested by a panel, since that would be contrary to the statute prohibiting the world’s oldest trade. Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor-General P. P. Malhotra told a Special Bench of Justice...

-The Telegraph The Centre today announced fresh guidelines to protect the rights of forest dwellers and “undo” years of “injustice” these tribal people have had to face over claims on land and minor produce. Sources said the Union tribal affairs ministry, which issued the guidelines, felt the implementation of the forest rights act (FRA) had been “poor” on the ground. “The FRA aims to undo the historic injustice made against the tribal people...

-The Telegraph The Centre is planning to hold a comprehensive workshop for tribal women in Jharkhand to make them more alert to the menace of human trafficking, the decision mirroring its concern over the rise in number of such victims from the state. Krishna Tirath, Union minister of women and child development who met Jharkhand Women’s Commission member Vasavi Kiro in Delhi today, said the workshop would be held sometime in August-September...

-CNN-IBN The Central Government on Thursday accepted before the Supreme Court the auction route for allocating 2G spectrum. Attorney General G E Vahanvati told the Supreme Court that the Centre favoured auction for future sale of spectrum.   But the government is yet to decide on whether it favours auction for sale of all scarce natural resources to commercial parties. The apex court had on Wednesday said that it cannot reject the presidential reference...