-The Economic Times Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has ruled out any significant changes in the land acquisition bill. "There will be no significant changes to the bill. Just like the Supreme Court has ruled that there is a basic structure to the Constitution, there is a basic structure to the bill that cannot and will not be tampered with," Ramesh told reporters here on Monday. The bill, which was taken up...

-The Times of India Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said he would not dilute the compensation package and rehabilitation norms in the draft land acquisition bill, throwing a challenge at ministerial colleagues who last week dubbed it anti-industry to block its approval by the Cabinet. "This bill is part of the political agenda of Congress and we are a political party. These people should know we are in government, they are ministers...

-The Telegraph Union minister Jairam Ramesh today described the proposed land acquisition bill as the “political agenda” of the Congress and said it would be reintroduced in the Winter Session of Parliament with no “significant” change. Five ministers had blocked the amended land acquisition bill in the cabinet last week on the ground that its provisions would stall industrialisation and urbanisation. “The land acquisition bill is the political agenda of the Congress Party....

-The Hoot Buried in a parliamentary committee report is a refutation by villagers of TOI’s controversial stories on BT cotton’s virtues, published in 2008 and reprinted in the paper as paid news in 2011. PARANJOY GUHA THAKURTA revisits the saga  Allegations leveled by Palagummi Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu newspaper that its competing daily, the Times of India, published an article at the behest of Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech without disclosing this...

-PTI The passage of the Lokpal bill is set to be delayed further with a Parliamentary committee examining the legislation likely to seek an extension till the beginning of the Winter Session of Parliament. The Rajya Select Committee on Lokpal/Lokayukta Bill which met today is learnt to have decided to seek an extension of its term to complete the examination of the measure. The term of the panel ends on September 3 and...