-Outlook The West Bengal government today decided to financially compensate victims of crime against women, including rape and trafficking. "The scheme is aimed at compensating victims of crime against women. The guidelines have been drawn up mainly to pay compensation to victims of rape and human trafficking," Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee told reporters after a cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave approval to the scheme. The compensation included Rs...

-The Telegraph Union minister Jairam Ramesh today described the proposed land acquisition bill as the “political agenda” of the Congress and said it would be reintroduced in the winter session of Parliament with no “significant” change. Five ministers had blocked the amended land acquisition bill in the cabinet last week on the ground that its provisions would stall industrialisation and urbanisation. “The land acquisition bill is the political agenda of the Congress Party....

-The Hindustan Times West Bengal Police have raided the office of a leading publisher and instructed him not to sell a book critical of chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the state government. Incidentally, the book has been written by Nazrul Islam, additional director general (training) of WB police. The IPS officer’s book titled Musalmander Koronio (What Muslims Should Do) was released by Mitra and Ghosh Publishers about a week ago and discusses the...

-The Indian Express The Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal has banned controversial IPS officer Nazrul Islam’s book, Musalmander Ki Karaniya (What Muslims Should Do), in which he has highlighted the alleged plight of Muslims in the state and the “double standard” of the present government in “improving” their condition. The book, which was released a month ago, has been published by Kolkata-based publisher Mitra and Ghosh. On Saturday, officials from the Enforcement...

-The Telegraph Buniadpur, Aug. 31: Mamata Banerjee, who has chosen to keep the state’s hands off land acquisition, today appealed to villagers in South Dinajpur for plots to set up anganwadi centres and hinted that the government was finding it difficult to get land. The chief minister, while speaking about acquiring land for an AIIMS-like hospital, has told a rally in Itahar yesterday that she would not “put a gun to a...