-Outlook Expanding the ambit of its 1997 Vishaka verdict, the Supreme Court today directed all regulatory bodies like BCI and MCI, which regulate different professions, to set up a committee to deal with all cases of sexual harassment at the workplace. A three-judge bench headed by Justice R M Lodha directed regulating bodies and all the institutions affiliated to them to implement the guidelines framed in the Vishaka case within two months. The...

-The Hindustan Times The big difference within the Cabinet over the land acquisition bill revolves around the role of the state. Since land is to be acquired for infrastructure projects - India is relying on the private sector to come up with half the $1 trillion it will need to build ports, highways and power plants in the next five years - positions on either side of the debate are deeply...

-Outlook The aim of achieving food security across the globe will become increasingly elusive unless countries take into account the planet's nature-based services into agricultural and related planning, said a report released by the United Nations Environment Programme today. Safeguarding the underlying ecological foundations that support food production, including biodiversity will be central if the world is to feed the seven billion people, climbing to over nine billion by 2050, according to...

-The Hindu The Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted the ban on tourist activities in core areas of tiger reserve forests. This follows Additional Solicitor-General Indira Jaising’s submission that on October 15 the government notified the revised guidelines for the 41 tiger reserves to be followed by States. A Bench of Justices A.K. Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar said: “This court passed an order on July 24 that till final guidelines are issued, core areas...

-The Times of India The government is set to step up its push for cash transfer of subsidies and adopt it as a policy doctrine in the run-up to elections, with two PILot projects validating the assumption that it would lead to significant savings for the government while enhancing benefits for users. A PILot project for cooking gas in Mysore run by state-run oil companies saw the number of connections dropping 40%...