-The Telegraph Chandigarh: Bureaucrats in Haryana now have to stand up - "meticulously correct and courteous" - every time an MP or an MLA visits their office, according to a circular. The circular had been issued in the last week of May but came to light following the standoff between the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal and IAS officers in Delhi. Several senior Haryana-cadre bureaucrats in Chandigarh claimed they had heard about...

-The Indian Express Two protesters had died in police firing at Bahi Parswanath and three outside Pipliyamandi Police Station on June 6. Bhopal: The judicial probe constituted after six deaths and violence during farmers’ agitation in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, in June last year, has given a clean chit to the police and CRPF personnel and held that firing was absolutely necessary (“nitant awashyak”) and justified (“nyaysangat”). The J K Jain Commission report, submitted...

-TheWire.in Paschimbanga Griha Paricharika Samiti, a Kolkata-based workers' organisation was granted a trade union certificate from the state government. New Delhi: The exploitation and abuse of domestic workers has been prevalent in India for many years now. In addition to being overworked and underpaid, domestic workers are often ill-treated and in some cases, even physically attacked and sexually harassed. The efforts of Paschim Banga Griha Paricharika Samiti (PGPS-West Bengal Domestic Workers Society), a...

-TheWire.in Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Government has announced a ban on the use of plastics from January 1, 2019. This is a remarkable move aimed towards reducing the amount of plastic waste generated in the state. But is this enough to save the environment in the state? This announcement came barely a fortnight after the brutal killing of 13 people protesting against the Sterlite Copper unit in Thoothukudi. Sterlite Copper is one...

-TheWire.in Pesticide poisoning is the Leading method of suicide among both men and women in the country. It is also the method that is easiest to prevent – by banning and removing highly hazardous ones from agricultural practice through legislation. The ban on highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) currently being discussed in India will not only protect the environment and improve the public health but will also achieve another rarely acknowledged goal –...