Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, who had recommended the suspension of operations at the Koodankulam nuclear power plant until people’s concerns had been allayed, said on Monday that work on the plant should resume immediately. The state cabinet based its decision on a report submitted last month by an expert committee that gave the project the all-clear, she said. “As per the state cabinet consensus, I (order) that the process for...

Kudankulam plant comes under 3-tier security cover; activists call for indefinite fast Police moved against those protesting the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) on Monday, arresting 11 activists, including two members of the anti-KKNPP struggle committee. This is the first time the police cracked the whip on protesters in the last seven and half months. The nuclear power plant came under a three-tier security cover soon after the Cabinet cleared the decks...

-The Deccan Herald   Government should issue guidelines on fee structure To urge the state government to notify the rules framed for implementing Right to Education (RTE) ACT, Shikshana Sampanmoola Kendragala Okkuta, Dakshina Kannada district, SDMC Sanchalana Samiti, and other like-minded organisations staged a protest, in front of Deputy Commissioner’s office on Monday.  Addressing the meeting, Campaign Against Child Labour district convener Renny D’Souza said that the draft of the rules are ready. However,...

The government introduced a retrospective clarification to the Income-Tax (I-T) Act, 1961, virtually amending the law to ensure that cross-border transactions such as the $11.08 billion (around Rs55,735 crore today) Vodafone-Hutchison deal are taxable. The Supreme Court had ruled this deal as not being taxable in India. The amendment becomes crucial because a review petition by the government on this case is pending before the Supreme Court, which might now have...

An opportunity has been forsaken to strengthen our economic fundamentals while improving the lives of the people, increasing the divide between India Shining and India Suffering. While the people were hoping for relief in the current budget, the Finance Minister was faced with the task of reversing the slowing growth rate and raging inflation. He had a choice in this budget. He, however, chose a path that is going to worsen...