-Newsclick.in The farmers are also demanding free electricity for irrigation and grants for borewells, tubewells, ponds and tanks, as promised by BJP during the last Assembly election. Lucknow: Sugarcane farmers of Kaptanganj sugar mill, in Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and surrounding villages have been protesting outside the tehsil under the banner of multiple unions demanding payment of around Rs 44 crore due for the ongoing crushing season for almost two...

-The Hindu Any state intervention inspired by Islamophobic views will only help deepen majoritarianism The Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to undertake a survey of madrasas has raised serious concerns not just over the fate of these institutions but also on the future of Muslim identity. Other BJP-ruled States have also expressed concerns about madrasas. In May, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the word ‘madrasa’ should cease to exist. In September,...

-TheWire.in Data from the NCRB on farmers' suicides, when compared with data collected from the ground by the Punjab Agricultural University, shows a severe undercounting of the phenomenon in the country. While answering a question from MP Suresh Danorka about the determinants and distribution of farmers’ suicides, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar did not recognise the extensive study done by the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (PAU), sponsored by the government of Punjab. The...

-The Telegraph  Document accuses Centre of delayed response and alleges the state government had failed in 'civic mediation and statesmanship' New Delhi: A report by a panel of retired judges and a former Union home secretary has accused the central and Delhi governments of “glaring failures of constitutional duties” during and after the February 2020 communal riots in the capital. It has accused the Centre of delayed response and the state government of...

-TheWeek.in Immediate steps needed to protect city's image One night of relentless rain, and even the richest tech bosses were stranded in knee-deep waters in their plush homes, looking for coracles to reach safety. According to the India Meteorological Department, Bengaluru received 370mm of rainfall this August (131.66mm on August 30), falling just short of the all-time record of 387mm in August 1998. This day was expected. Over the years, rampant corruption in...