-The Hindu The Centre has decided to come up with a comprehensive legislation to deal with fake Scheduled Tribe Certificates that is used for securing employment against quota. Union Minister for tribal Affairs V.Kishore Chandra Deo initiated the move after referring a case of this nature to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) and the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) for initiating action against the wife of an IAS officer...

-The Times of India The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has set up a committee under the chairmanship of Planning Commission member K Kasturirangan to review the controversial Western Ghats ecology experts panel report, which had recommended restricting industrial development in about 75% of the hilly terrain spread across six states. The Western Ghats panel report was roundly criticized by the state governments and other infrastructure-related Central ministries. The Kasturirangan...

-The Hindustan Times Indigenous Assamese Muslim groups joined the All Assam Students Union (AASU) on Friday in charging the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal with fanning communal sentiments in the wake of the recent violence in Assam.  Sadou Asom Gariya – Moria Desi Jatiya Parisad (SAGMJP), an influential body of about 25 lakh Assamese Muslims, held Ajmal responsible for Northeast students and workers leaving Maharastra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh...

-The Telegraph Bengal should follow in the footsteps of Mendha Lekha if it wants to beat back Maoists. And so should Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. That’s what rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has advised in a letter he wrote last week. Create “more Mendha Lekhas”, he said, referring to the Maharashtra village that gave villagers community rights over minor forest resource and transit permit to sell such produce. For thousands...

-PTI In a bid to end exploitation of tribals, Government on Wednesday said it is formulating a scheme to ensure they get fair and remunerative prices for forest produce and working towards passage of a law on mines and minerals. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also said that the government is considering a "new and effective" law to put an end to the "repulsive practice" of manual scavenging and to provide opportunities to...