-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 Hindu The Sunday Story 13 States and Union Territories have no all-woman police stations The induction of more women in the police force has been acknowledged as an essential component of the ongoing police reform efforts in India. Beyond making their presence felt in the force, thus encouraging more women to access its services without inhibition, it should serve as a precursor to many other positive outcomes in the policing process. However,...

-The Business Standard Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi professor and development economist Reetika Khera tells Sreelatha Menon that the food Bill may not be a leap ahead, but it is certainly a step forward * The food Bill is a guarantee for lifelong dependence on government doles. As an economist, can one defend such a policy? The food Bill should be seen as an investment. "Labour" is India's most important asset. In that sense,...

-The Hindu The Sunday Story A series of audacious attacks on minorities and their institutions in Dakshina Kannada indicate police patronage for the perpetrators There is a significant body of evidence to show that the rampant acts of vigilantism witnessed in coastal Karnataka enjoy police patronage. Take, for instance, the July 28 Mangalore Homestay attack. While seeking bail from the High Court for journalist Naveen Soorinje, who was listed as an accused by...

-The Hindustan Times The Union mome ministry is actively considering ordering an independent inquiry by National Investigating Agency (NIA) to verify the claims and counter-claims of Delhi and Jammu Kashmir Police over the “arrest” of alleged Hizbul Mujahideen militant Syed Liyaqat Shah and the subsequent recovery of AK-47 rifles and ammunition from the Walled City in Delhi. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has asked the Centre to order an independent...