Any new system for the socio-economic progress of Dalits and other vulnerable sections must not lose sight of Special Component Plan goals. THE Planning Commission's “Approach to the 12th Five Year Plan” deals with the Scheduled Castes (S.C.s) briefly in a portion of Chapter 11 titled “Social and Regional Equity”. It, however, significantly mentions the need to devise a new system that can overcome the difficulties experienced with regard to the...

-The Indian Express   With corruption emerging as a national issue, the government on Wednesday unveiled a host of steps as part of its anti-graft drive, including setting up of 71 fast-track special CBI courts, fixing of a limit of three months to grant sanction for prosecution of “tainted” officials, and abolishment of discretionary powers enjoyed by ministers — as recommended by a Group of Ministers on corruption. Announcing that the government has...

-The Times of India   After taking lead in helping the country draw up the Rigth to Information Act and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to have drafted a policy underlining the importance and the need to preserve and secure common land (commons) in rural areas. The government has issued a series of orders to facilitate the process and aims...

-The Telegraph   Had it not been for a tub of hot water and a celebrated judge in England in 1949, Bengal’s Singur law may have found itself in legal hot water. Justice I.P. Mukerji, who delivered the Singur judgment, was guided by a 62-year-old English case that dealt with hot water supply by a landlord, according to the order issued on Wednesday. The Calcutta judge used the principle of “purposive interpretation”, which figured...

-BBC   A court in India has ruled that West Bengal's state government acted legally in reclaiming land where Tata Motors wanted to build its low-cost Nano car. The 1,000-acre plot of land was acquired in 2006 by the state's former communist government and leased to the company for 99 years. The new state government took back the land in June to return it to farmers. Tata challenged the move in the high court in...