-The Hindu The gradual deterioration in Parliament’s functioning has to be stopped if it is to fulfil its constitutional mandate The Budget session of Parliament ended on Thursday, two weeks ahead of the original plan, as many political leaders are busy with campaigning for the forthcoming State Assembly Elections. This follows the trend of the last few sessions: the Budget session of 2020 was curtailed ahead of the lockdown imposed following the...

-The Hindu It violates the basic tenets of India’s democracy by keeping the knowledge of the ‘right to know’ from citizens and voters The Supreme Court, after a brief hearing on March 24, reserved orders on the question of whether or not to stay the electoral bond scheme, ahead of the upcoming State Elections. For the last three years, electoral bonds have been the dominant method of political party funding in India....

-The Hindu With basic survival at stake, the vulnerable Sabar tribe of Lalgarh have little stomach for Elections A tube well and a few houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana are new additions to Punapani village in Lalgarh, which lost seven people of the Sabar community in November 2018, reportedly due to hunger and malnutrition. Election posters and flags are not visible in Sabar basti which is part of the Jhargram Assembly...

-The Hindu The political emphasis on welfare interventions is insufficient to address the emerging developmental issues in the State A major concern in contemporary Indian development is the widening socio-economic disparity across groups and regions. Even when regions perform relatively better in one developmental dimension, it does not often translate into all round development. For instance, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala might have attained better levels of human development but that has not...

-Livemint.com The farmers’ agitation at Delhi’s doorstep against laws enacted by the Centre hits the four-month mark on Friday. A Supreme Court-appointed committee has just submitted its report on the issue. Can the warring sides arrive at a resolution any time soon? Mint explores The farmers’ agitation at Delhi’s doorstep against laws enacted by the Centre hits the four-month mark on Friday. A Supreme Court-appointed committee has just submitted its report on...