-Frontline PESA, which is seen as an enabling law for tribal self-governance, is violated brazenly by both the Union government and State governments in the name of development. SINCE October 2012, the Ministry of Rural Development of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has apparently been engaged in an exercise to evolve a "National Land Reforms Policy". Over these months, the Ministry wrote to various State governments, highlighting the importance of...

-The Telegraph Offices of the Saradha Group and some other deposit-collection companies were attacked across Bengal on Saturday. Here is a glimpse of the unrest that has gripped the state. Trinamul headquarters in Topsia What happened They came in droves from the two 24-Parganas, Howrah and several other places and party general secretary Mukul Roy was forced to call some of them to a meeting. The agents outside said they were being hounded by depositors...

-The Telegraph The Left today said a degree of consent should be obtained even for land acquisition for public purpose and demanded the land acquisition bill be sent back to a parliamentary committee and not taken up for passage. "The present bill says there is no need for consent of those affected if land is acquired for government purpose. We are opposed to it. We feel a degree of consent is needed...

-Live Mint Government reaches near consensus as BJP agrees to support Bill in Parliament; industry not enthused by plan The government may be close to pulling off one of India's most significant policy changes with a near consensus among political parties on a new land acquisition law, taking the country to the verge of removing what's perceived as the biggest impediment to the next wave of industrialization. At the conclusion of an all-party...

-The Hindustan Times A civil society group on Friday demanded key changes in the bill to protect whistleblowers, including widening its scope to bring all categories of public servants and private sector employees under its purview. The National Campaign for People's Right to Information, after day-long consultations with the families of some of the whistleblowers, asked the government to make the definition of victimisation clear in the bill. The Whistleblowers Protection Bill was...