-The Indian Express Sending a terse message to the government against "muzzling" voices of dissent, the Delhi High Court directed authorities Thursday to expunge the "offload" remark from the passport of Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai, remove her name from a database and allow her to travel abroad. Stating that the right of free speech and expression "necessarily includes the right to criticise and dissent", Justice Rajiv Shakdher, in a 39-page order, said:...

-Free Press Journal Seasonal agriculture is the mainstay of food as well as livelihood around here, so the local communities, predominantly Dalits and tribals rely heavily on their entitlements under the Public Distribution System (PDS), a government-sponsored food security net for the poor and marginalised populations, writes Dilnaz Boga. Pandarigota is a quaint village with a population of 305, tucked away in the dense forests of Korchi block in eastern Maharashtra's Gadchiroli...

-The Hindu Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the first indigenously developed and manufactured rotavirus vaccine on Monday here. Every year, diarrhoea caused by rotavirus results in up to 10 lakh hospitalisations and kills nearly 80,000 children under the age of 5. The three-dose ROTAVAC vaccine, developed through a collaboration between India and the United States, is expected to help bring about a significant reduction in the 100,000 infant deaths caused by...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The Centre has decided to extend its flagship rural jobs scheme to include afforestation as part of a move to create more durable assets through the programme that Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently derided as a living monument to the previous UPA government's failures and promised to overhaul. Officials said the National Mission for a Green India (GIM) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act...

-The Indian Express The budget aims at economic growth and social protection. This is welcome. So are provisions for financial inclusion, housing, water, sanitation and rural electrification. But there are also substantial cuts in crucial social sectors and key omissions that are likely to undermine its stated economic objectives. Consider agriculture, environment and women. First, double-digit growth or poverty reduction is unlikely without strong, sustained agricultural growth. In 2014-15, agriculture grew at...