-PTI Will not allow fake news and targeted voter messaging Internet major Google and social media giants Twitter and Facebook have assured the Election Commission that they will not allow their platforms to be used for anything which affects the sanctity of polls during the campaign period, Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat has said. He said this was tested during the Karnataka elections. “A small pilot was there. That was the beginning. Now...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: With the upper caste backlash over the government's aggressive pro-Dalit measures roiling the politics, will BJP execute the radical measure of sub-categorisation of OBCs or prefer to procrastinate on the expert commission's pending report? The question was uppermost on the minds of government insiders a day after the chairperson of the Commission tasked with drafting the sub-categorisation blueprint, Justice G Rohini, met Union minister Thavar...

-The Telegraph A commission source said the same restrictions could in future be applied to the Centre if Parliament is dissolved before its term ends The Election Commission on Thursday imposed on caretaker governments in states restrictions similar to those in force when the model code of conduct for polls is in place, almost a month after the Telangana Assembly was prematurely dissolved. A commission source said the same restrictions could in future...

-The Hindu Vantangiyas, who derive their name from a Burmese tradition of hill cultivation, have lived in tin shacks without toilets for decades Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh): There is no proper road to Jungle Tinkonia-3. As its name suggests, one must pass a woodland of sal and teak trees to reach it. The situation gets even more precarious during monsoons and medical emergencies, as the village does not have any health centre. Its infrastructure is...

-Down to Earth For every million rupees spent on agricultural research, 328 people are pulled out of poverty. In contrast, the same amount spent on power subsidies brings only 23 people come out of poverty. The message is clear. With the Union elections only a few months away, the Centre should prioritise capital investments over populist subsidies to deliver on its promise of strengthening the farm sector. This is important, especially when the...