Dalit political parties irked by Centre's unwillingness to allocate the entire 12.5-acre India United Mill plot for the proposed Dr BR Ambedkar memorial stepped up agitations across the city on Thursday. Hundreds of activists of Republican Party of India (Athavale) teamed up with another Dalit outfit, the Republican Sena and staged a blockade on the Eastern Express Highway, throwing traffic out of gear. The protesters burnt effigies of Prime Minister...

-The Indian Express   The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed export of unused stock of endosulfan insecticide, while retaining the complete ban imposed by it on its production, sale and use within the country. While allowing the export, a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia said the “dilution, packaging and export” of the agrochemical will be handled by public sector unit (PSU) Hindustan Insecticide Ltd. The Bench also said its previous...

-The Hindustan Times   After the news of the hospital fire in Kolkata broke on December 9, social media networks went into a frenzy. While some wanted the death sentence for the owners of the AMRI Hospitals where the disaster happened, others demanded answers from the state on why and how it failed to implement fire safety laws. One of the posts succinctly captured the Indian mindset responsible for such mishaps. The...

Assailed from all sides, does the UPA really hope to recover its ‘image’ by muzzling online dissent? Kapil Sibal ko gussa kyon aata hai? Butt of online jokes: Politicians in 'tweaked' cinematic avatars. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. The UPA government has made it something of a fine art. Hardly had the ruckus over the decision to open up the retail sector to FDI died down than...

-The Hindustan Times   Nearly 20,000 Right to Information (RTI) appeals concerning central ministries are waiting to be disposed but there just aren't enough hands to do the job. Chief central information commissioner Satyananda Mishra has written at least two letters to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) asking for the five vacancies to the post of chief information commissioner be filled up, but to no avail. The RTI Act has sanctioned 10 information...