-New Indian Express THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The much-touted Kurumba Package for the primitive tribals, which the government said would be executed without delay, has caused concern among the tribals. While the tribal leaders point out many flaws, including the non-inclusion of tribals in the team implementing the package, the government says that it would be implemented only as per the recommendations of ‘Ooru Kootam' (tribal hamlet meetings). Various adivasi organisations alleged...

-The Hindustan Times Patna: Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has called for "serious government response" and "monitoring at the highest level" in the cases of violent Attacks on whistleblowers in Bihar. He said his ministry was working on a ‘protocol' for whistleblowers, and that would soon be applicable to the entire country. In a letter to chief minister Nitish Kumar, Ramesh said whistleblowers and their families were facing constant torture and...

-The Indian Express As the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) zeroes in on appointments made during the tenure of the Trinamool Congress in the Railway Ministry to understand the process of top level appointments, political circles are abuzz about Mamata Banerjee's unusual silence over the case of bribery in Railways. Except for a statement by party spokesman Derek O'Brien on the day the news broke, the TMC has remained uncharacteristically oblivious of...

-The Hindu   ‘No steps taken to prevent such deaths in Attappady Hills' Palakkad: One more infant died at Kottathara Tribal Speciality Hospital on Thursday, taking the number of deaths owing to malnutrition in the last 16 months in the Attappady Hills in Palakkad district of Kerala to 35. The infant, weighing only 1,300 grams, was delivered during the eighth month of pregnancy. The mother was admitted in the hospital three days back...

-The Hindu   Last week's jail sentence for two prominent Shiv Sainiks is historic as it upholds the first such conviction against a member of that party Sent to jail for two months and fined Rs.5,000. Twenty years after their crime, this was the sentence handed down last week by a sessions court to two Shiv Sena leaders. This was for their provocative speeches during the Mumbai riots following the demolition of the...