-The Times of India NEW DELHI: After getting the mandate to audit power distribution companies from Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi government, the comptroller and auditor general may well get another crucial assignment on Monday, if the Delhi high court agrees with its stand. HC is expected to deliver a landmark verdict to decide if CAG has the jurisdiction/powers to audit accounts of private telecom companies. A division bench of Justice Pradeep Nandrajog...

-The Hindu For the first time in decades, the Maoists have encouraged calibrated polling in some areas, instead of fanatically implementing a policy to boycott the election The districts of Chhattisgarh partially controlled by Maoists - with 12 Assembly constituencies - voted overwhelmingly in 2013. Compared to 2008, voter turnout in 2013 increased by 9.67 percentage points in 12 constituencies, while the overall polling was 6.81 percentage points higher than in the...

-Live Mint India needs to move away from wild swings in making environment policies The Western Ghats, spread over six states in western and southern India, cover an area of approximately 165,000 sq. km. They are home to a unique ecosystem in the country that is under threat from human activities. Nearly 59% of this area has been exploited: habitation, plantation or agriculture. Only 41% of the area is a natural...

-The Hindu The chopping off of the palms of two migrant workers is a wake-up call The gruesome incident of the chopping off of the palms of two migrant labourers of Kalahandi district of western Odisha by the labour contractor mafia in December 2013 should serve as a wake-up call. The incident highlights the ruthless extent to which the mafia can go to meet its ends and brings home the fact that...

-The Free Press Journal Forced evictions to become history after 120 years New Delhi: The New Year ushered a new law replacing the 120-year old Land Acquisition Act 1894, ending to the government's powers of forcible acquiescing and assuring appropriate compensation to farmers with transparency. The Rural Development Ministry on Wednesday notified the rules FRAmed under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act to bring...