-The Indian Express In the seven years between 2004 and 2011, the Congress received over Rs 2,004 crore from donors; the BJP got about Rs 994 crore. Smaller and regional parties too got significant sums. These amounts were declared by parties; however, the source of over 85 per cent of donations is not known. The parties say donors gave sums less than Rs 20,000, and need not be made public. The Election Commission's...

-The Hindu Mumbai: Sloppy implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) has resulted in large tracts of forests being cut down and claimed as cultivated land in Maharashtra, according to a study. Data shows that in Jalgaon district alone, more than 79 per cent claims over cultivated forest land were apparently on ineligible lands and about 25 per cent had forest cover. In Thane, adjacent to Mumbai with a high land...

-The Times of India Undeterred by stiff opposition from private developers and builders, the housing ministry is pushing hard to bring the real estate regulator bill, aiming to protect home buyers, in the current session of Parliament. Housing minister Ajay Maken on Sunday said the bill was expected to be brought up for consideration of the Cabinet soon before being introduced in Parliament. The government is looking to set up a tough regulator...

-The Indian Express Special courts for those falsely held in terror cases would acknowledge the problem, not solve it The Union home ministry has come out in support of demands for the setting up of special courts for speedy disposal of cases of those believed to be falsely accused of involvement in terror cases. As reported in this newspaper on Sunday, Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has also indicated that action would be initiated...

-DNA Sex workers and women's rights activists have welcomed the government's move to differentiate ‘prostitution' from exploitation in the amended Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code. By inserting a new definition of exploitation, the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2013 passed by Lok Sabha clarifies a position that till date conflated consensual adult sex work and sex trafficking: ‘Expression "exploitation" shall include any act of physical exploitation or any form of sexual...