‘Certain areas of judiciary cannot be made public and it is not necessary’ Institutional decisions by CJI should be kept out Certain areas of the functioning of the judiciary, including the process of selection of judges, should be kept out of the purview of Right to Information (RTI) Act in the interest of the independence of the judiciary, said Justice Rajendra Babu, the former Chief Justice of India and the former Chairman...

It is probably the best news for Mumbai's leading builders who had invested thousands of crores of rupees on buying prime plots to develop flats and residences but got stuck in the environment tangle as the land was classified later as forest area. After years of uncertainity, the Supreme Court on Monday cleared their construction activity. However, the green light came with two riders — one they must pay the...

Farmers in Maharashtra revive 120 varieties of local crops   Dark brown seeds pointed at both ends resemble the kind of wild seeds growing just anywhere that children would collect to play with. Only, this seed is one of the rare and nutritious foods losing out to the rush for market food. To the Mahadeo Koli and Thakar tribals in the rain-shadow areas of Sahyadri hills, this millet is known as batu...

Post-independence policies have taken away all securities of the small farmer Historically, compared to other developing economies, India has had relatively smaller agricultural land-holdings. Mixed farming and animal tending was the backbone of small and marginal rain-fed agriculture. Diverse food crops along with animal produce ensured relatively balanced nutrition. But policies in independent India reduced diversity while increasing the market dependence of small farms. Small farmers became victims of policies favouring...

The filthy, moss-covered ponds that many rural people depend on could turn into limpid pools of fresh water if a central scheme that kicks off in June is a success. The government plans to list every water body in the country, assess the condition of each, and “revitalise” the most neglected ones through de-silting and prevention of pollution and encroachment. A sum of Rs 4,000 crore has been set aside for the...