-The Hindu   "If we are going to be serious about supporting women's SHGs, then we need a development finance institution" Finance Minister P. Chidambaram's proposal to establish a bank exclusively for women - which he described as the highlight of this year's budget - may have garnered applause from across party lines in Parliament and could be set up as early as October; but that hasn't stopped his Cabinet colleague and Rural...

-The Indian Express Of late, there has been much public debate around the effectiveness of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), particularly on its targeting of the poor and the socioeconomic profile of its beneficiaries (most notably in this newspaper). It is important to look at these claims closely, not as much to counter them but as to present the real picture that has been undermined by often-unsubstantiated...

-The Hindu     The circumstances surrounding the custodial death of a Dalit woman in Tamil Nadu in 2002 serve as a reminder of the difficulties in securing justice when the offenders are government functionaries This is a case of justice being awarded after a decade. Last month, the Ramanathapuram Sessions Court sentenced eight policemen to rigorous imprisonment, for up to 10 years, for the 2002 custodial killing of Karuppi, a poor Dalit woman,...

-PTI The Election Commission's demand that the LIMit of Rs 20,000 be removed to make it mandatory for parties to show on record all voluntary donations, irrespective of the sum, has been referred to the Law Commission which is working on the issue of electoral reforms. Since the poll panel's recommendation requires amending the Representation of People's Act, the government has decided to wait for the Law Commission's recommendations on electoral reforms...

-The Times of India     DURBAN: India has decided to operationalize unit 1of the Russian-built Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu next month, finally getting past the psychological and political barrier it had faced post-Fukushima. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh conveyed the breakthrough decision to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on the sidelines of BRICS Summit here on Tuesday. He also told Putin about the government's decision to build Units 3 and 4...