-The Hindu A reasonable aim of 1,500 MT of coal production by 2022 and a calibrated renewable energy push should enable reaching ambitious targets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s style is to set ambitious targets with impossible-looking deadlines. Perhaps he is inspired by a Gujarati poet who said, “Nishaan chuk maaf, nahi neechu nishaan” (missing the target can be forgiven, setting a low target cannot). This challenges his colleagues and staff to accomplish...

Access to land and its resources is important since it determines the extent of poverty and deprivation one faces. Historically tribal populations and other traditional forest dwellers did not enjoy any legal entitlement such as ownership rights or user rights of the forest lands where they had been living since ages, both communally and individually. The Forest Rights Act (FRA) is, thus, seen as a progressive legislation that attempted to...

-The Indian Express Govt must learn from mistakes in onions and potatoes, agriculture should be spared of bearing the burden of its inflation targeting. Last week, Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a 5% subsidy on onion exports in the form of transferable duty credit scrips that can be used to pay customs, excise or service tax. On top of it, the Maharashtra government extended a Rs 100 per quintal grant to...

-The Hindu Report lauds scheme but finds fault with the government for not identifying deserving beneficiaries in each area Chennai: The deficit in local bodies such as Chennai Corporation was widening owing to the increase in expenditure on Amma Canteens. According to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on local bodies for the year ended March 31, 2015, the expenditure on Amma Canteens in 2014-2015 crossed Rs.100 crore in...

-Livemint.com August saw good rains in northern and eastern regions while peninsula, parts of central India remained mostly dry New Delhi: The southwest monsoon was 3% short of its long-term average till the end of August, India’s weather office said on Thursday. Around 87% of the country has received normal to excess rainfall so far. Including 1 September, the shortfall has come down to 2%. August saw good rains in the country’s northern...