-The Times of India Chandigarh: Months after making the educational qualification mandatory for candidates contesting panchayat elections, Haryana on Wednesday imposed a condition that municipal polls candidates must also be Class X pass. There was huge hue and cry when the education clause was imposed for panchayat polls, with the Supreme Court finally upholding the law. However, the Bill making educational qualification necessary for municipal polls was passed without any opposition. To make...

-Down to Earth The Centre has promised more money to panchayats, but there is many a slip between cup and lip Like last year, the budget for the financial year 2016-17 also had a much-desirable provision. Last year, the government had increased the share of states in the Central divisible pool by 10 per cent after accepting the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission. This year, the government has accepted another big...

-Livemint.com Only Chhattisgarh and Odisha have shown extraordinary success in making public distribution system work efficiently and equitably Across thousands of schools in India, expensive computers, printers and scanners are gathering dust. In many panchayats and other Local Bodies, such hardwares remain unused. Meanwhile, tonnes of government orders and circulars continue to be scanned and uploaded on official websites, which serve absolutely no purpose to anyone. Computerization, digitization and automation are often seen...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Shopkeepers and street vendors across India who wish to continue providing commodities in plastic bags would need to pay Rs 4,000 per month to local authorities under new rules intended to discourage free carry bags. The Union environment ministry today announced revised rules to manage India's massive burden of plastic waste. The rules will introduce this waste management fee on vendors, while imposing a collect-back system for brand-owners...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Centre on Friday notified stringent plastic waste management rules to regulate use of the hazardous material and handle the waste generated by it. Besides, it also banned use of plastic carry bags of less than 50 microns in thickness as against the existing norms of less than 40 microns. Be it manufacturers, shopkeepers, street vendors or waste generators including individuals, institutions and organisers of big...