-Live Mint Move may help the Congress renew its appeal to a traditional constituency; activists raise objections In yet another move that the ruling Congress Party hopes will help renew its appeal to a traditional constituency, the ministry of rural development has indicated it is likely to accept the recommendations of a panel that has suggested the universalization of pensions. The task force headed by Planning Commission member Mihir Shah was set up...

-Outlook Opposing the plea of December 16 gangrape accused to use as evidence a CD containing the interview of the victim's friend given to a news channel, the police today told the Delhi High Court that a "media interview of a witness is inadmissible evidence under the law." Special public prosecutor Dayan Krishnan, appearing for the Delhi police, told Justice G P Mittal that "media interview in any nature is completely barred...

-The Times of India Finance minister P Chidambaram may have brushed aside the Gujarat model of development but the Centre will now have to comment on the efficacy of the model set up by BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh in implementing targeted public distribution system providing subsidized food grains to the poor. The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centre's comment on the Raman Singh government's model of TPDS implementation, which was repeatedly cited by...

-The Indian Express Nagri, Bhojpur: Residents of Nagri in Bihar’s Bhojpur had spent 12 years waiting for justice after the killing of 10 people, nine of them of scheduled castes and OBCs and one a Muslim, during a caste attack on May 11, 1998. And after they felt justice had finally come, it proved short-lived. “First, we had to wait 12 years before the lower court finally handed the death sentence to...

-The Hindu As Marathwada’s groundwater table plummets to 500 ft, farmers here, as in other districts, are freely violating the law in a frantic bid to strike water. Mahadeo Mule has invested Rs. 1 lakh during the past five months to save his crops and livestock, drilling at five different points on his land, despite already having a borewell. He has also spent close to Rs. 35,000 on water from private...