-PTI PATNA: Taking into account deficient rainfall this year, Bihar government on Wednesday declared 33 out of the 38 districts of state as drought-hit. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting presided over by chief minister Nitish Kumar. Principal secretary (Cabinet Coordination and Secretariat) Brajesh Mehrotra and the principal secretary ( Disaster Management Department) Vyasji said the decision was taken because of deficient rainfall in these districts at 20 per cent below...

-The Hindu Not only is the death penalty barbaric and immoral and its deterrent effect unproven, it also contradicts the core objectives of the criminal justice system Advocating for the abolition of the death penalty in the immediate aftermath of the sentencing in the Delhi rape case may appear morally dubious. What rights do people guilty of so heinous a crime lay claim to, and what do they deserve but death, you...

-The Business Standard Confusion over clinical trial compensation norms Even as the health ministry is evaluating a formula to compensate victims of clinical trials, an expert committee, headed by Ranjit Roy Chaudhury, has recommended some stringent measures that appear contrary to the formula under consideration. The committee, set up by the ministry to formulate policy and guidelines for clinical trials, has suggested that no compensation be given for therapeutic inefficiency during clinical trials...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Reflecting the larger national mood against corruption, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) saw a staggering jump of over 110% in the number of complaints received by the integrity institution last year. "The Commission received more than 37,000 complaints during 2012 as compared to 17,407 complaints in 2011 which is 113% more than that of previous year," says the annual CVC report. Among them were over...

-The Economic Times The government, reportedly, is creating a new composite development index to rank states that use new, more comprehensive criteria. Since the 12th Finance Commission recommended special grants for backward regions, in addition to special allocation of Plan funds to so-called Special Category states, there has been some enthusiasm among state leaders for accentuating their respective state's backwardness. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has invested a lot of political...