In a step to alleviate the plight of millions of people affected by the 2008 Kosi floods, the Bihar government on Wednesday signed a $220-million agreement with the World Bank. The government will chip in with $39 million for the $259-million Bihar Kosi Flood Recovery Project aimed at supporting the State's recovery efforts, reducing risks of flooding and boosting emergency responses in the event of future disasters. At a function here, World...

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday described as “highly unfortunate” the Supreme Court judgment upholding the Kerala High Court order banning public meetings and rallies on Roadsides. The ruling, coupled with earlier restrictions on demonstrations and strikes, did not augur well for a democracy, the party's Polit Bureau said in a statement. It was a common practice for political parties and other public organisations to hold meetings on Roadsides. Since...

In a boost to rural road network in the state, the Centre today approved a state government proposal to construct 2,005km of Roads with Rs 548.58 crore, and 49 bridges to connect these Roads with another Rs 96.09 crore, under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). The decision was taken by a high-powered committee set up by the Union rural development ministry to monitor PMGSY. The meeting in New Delhi...

Since 1947, successive governments have missed innumerable opportunities to put the country on the path of sustained, inclusive growth. Time and again, quixotic ideology has led to meaningless debates, antediluvian policy and inexplicable strangulation of capacity buildup in both physical and social infrastructure. Even today, while the gap between current and projected national demand and supply is well acknowledged, the government continues to drag its feet in creating the policy...

State's appeal against High Court order dismissed The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the judgment of the Kerala High Court prohibiting public meetings by the Roadsides in the State. A Bench of Justice D.K. Jain and Justice H.L. Dattu dismissed an appeal filed by the State government against the judgment of the High Court and a subsequent petition seeking a review of the judgment. The Bench said it was not inclined to...