-The Indian Express Jaitley says UPA govt left scheme in ‘pitiable’ state, Manmohan says Modi govt killed its ‘soul and spirit’ The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) completed 10 years on Tuesday, sparking a political slugfest as both the Congress and the BJP rushed to take credit for its “success”. While Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Narendra Modi government had given the scheme, allegedly in a “pitiable” state...

-The Times of India DEHRADUN: Historian Ramachandra Guha, the author of The Unquiet Woods, a chronicle of the Chipko movement and its continuing relevance, threw his weight behind protesters seeking that the state government desist from taking over tea gardens in Dehradun for the Smart City project. He Tweeted: "A looming land scam in the name of a 'Smart City' in my home town, Dehradun". He told TOI that the proposal...

-PTI New Delhi: Direct transfer of kerosene subsidy to the bank accounts of users will help in better targeting of the benefits to those who actually deserve it, the Finance Ministry said today. The government had last night said it will roll out the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for kerosene from April 1 where the users will buy the cooking fuel at market rate but will get financial support directly in...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Congress student wing has publicly criticised the passage of the juvenile justice amendment act and promised to take the matter up with the parent party, which helped pass the bill last week. Under the amended act, now waiting for presidential assent, juveniles aged 16 to 18 can be tried as adults for heinous crimes, a provision children's rights activists have condemned as draconian. "We are against the passage...

-The Hindu Experts and NGOs say Nairobi outcomes favour rich countries and effectively end Doha Round. In the backdrop of a political intrigue surrounding the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) final Ministerial Declaration at the recently-concluded meet in the Kenyan capital, Commerce Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, is likely to make a statement in Parliament tomorrow on what the ‘Nairobi package’ means for India. The minister will be making her statement amidst claims by international trade...