-The Hindu Delhi, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are taking steps to rewrite the unconstitutional law on beggary and decriminalise poverty According to the 1959 law on beggary, Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, anyone perceived as having “no visible means of subsistence” and “wandering about” can be branded a beggar and detained in certified institutions for a period of not less than one year and up to 10 years for second time offenders. For many...

-The Hindu India’s roads are deadlier than ever. The high rates of death and disability expose the lack of an organised system of traffic management and safety. Road safety is no one’s responsibility. It is time to make someone accountable. On the final day of this year’s ‘puja’ season in Chennai, a particular roadside temple near the iconic Central Railway Station had the long annual line of vehicles — vans, tempos, taxis,...

-The Indian Express Governments of three Congress-ruled states — Maharashtra, Haryana and Uttarakhand — have written to Minister for Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan seeking a review of her tough orders that have led to the stalling of key infrastructural projects and slowed down job creation. Earlier this year, the environment ministry had issued guidelines fixing the minimum width of roads between highrises 15-30 metres tall at 15 m, for 45-60 m...

-The Hindustan Times The recent spurt in protests against projects from Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu to Mahan coal block in Madhya Pradesh to Tata’s Power Plant in Mundra, Gujarat, has raised a key question --- are American and European philanthropic groups supporting these agitations?   A conference organised by such groups from the two most developed regions of the world --- US and Europe --- in Istanbul this July provides an insight how...

-NDTV Bangalore: The Karnataka Lokayukta court has ordered a probe against Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna and other top state politicians after allegations of irregularities in acquiring farmers' land for the Mysore-Bangalore Expressway. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa will also be probed, among others. Both Mr Krishna and Mr Gowda have served as Karnataka chief ministers. A private complaint was filed at the Lokayukta...