At least two persons were injured when the police resorted to lathi charge villagers opposing the establishment of a mega steel plant by Posco India Private Limited in Orissa's Jagatsinghpur district on Wednesday. The police also arrested two persons on the charges of obstructing government officials from discharging their duties. Wait till talks end The incident took place when hundreds of residents of Nuagaon village staged a dharna on the main road to...

More than a million people settled along the Kosi river in the Indian state of Bihar live an uncertain and nomadic life in "floating villages" because of frequent flooding. Whenever Babuji Sah walks towards his village, Birbar, he says he feels like an ageing camel struggling to find his new address in the sand-filled desert. That is because Birbar is forced to move location every three to four years. The pathways...

In the least remarked upon move by the government to take on the development challenge in left-wing extremist (LWE) areas, Sudha Pillai was elevated to member-secretary of the Planning Commission on the eve of her retirement from the IAS. A topper in her batch, Sudha was initially posted to her home state of Punjab and then moved to Kerala after her marriage to her batchmate, present home secretary Gopal Pillai....

The Planning Commission has approved the annual plan of Rs 42000 crore for the Uttar Pradesh for the year 2010-11. However this could not satisfy the state government as it has alleged that in comparison with the other states the Central Government was not providing expected share to Uttar Pradesh in centrally aided schemes and projects. A high level delegation headed by the Chief Secretary Atul Kumar Gupta held deliberations...

In India peasantry is under assault. There is a five-pronged attack on this class and the mighty Indian state is sometimes an active and sometimes a passive abettor. The first point of attack is from the corporate sector. The corporate sector is in a land grab mode. Though not justified, one could understand their urge to get land for industry and real estate purposes. Not that they are causing aggressive...