-Economic and Political Weekly Why has pulse production stagnated despite measures to boost production being well known? This season, the prices of pulses (dals) have been on fire. According to the Price Monitoring Cell of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, the average retail price of red gram (tuar) doubled from around Rs 80 a kg in March 2015 to Rs 150–Rs 160 a kg in November 2015. What could...

-Livemint.com The report, titled LIMited Access Restricting Expression also makes a case for expansion of quality Internet access and last mile connectivity in both urban and rural India New Delhi: India needs to improve the right to freedom of online expression, according to recommendations of a report by the Digital Empowerment Foundation. The report, titled LIMited Access Restricting Expression, and released on Thursday, also makes a case for expansion of quality Internet...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday threw its weight behind efforts to clean up Delhi's air, agreeing to explore various options including banning diesel cars from the Capital's roads and stopping trucks from passing through the city to tackle the growing menace of pollution. A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice R Banumathi expressed shock over the high pollution level in the city and...

-The Indian Express Haryana law on educational qualification for panchayat polls is discriminatory. SC must rethink decision to uphold it The Supreme Court has ruled that the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, which mandates minimum educational qualification for candidates — Class 10 for general candidates, Class 8 for women, Class 5 for Dalits — contesting panchayat polls is constitutionally valid. The apex court must revisit its decision. The Haryana law...

-The Hindu Chennai: Official data from the Metro Water for the last 20 days suggest that the high precipitation and reservoir outflows on November 16 and December 1 respectively were primarily responsible for swelling the rivers. As the flood water recedes in Chennai, serious questions are being raised about reservoir management in the city. Much of the flooding and subsequent waterlogging was a consequence of the outflows from major reservoirs into swollen...