-The Hindu Jairam Ramesh concludes two days of intense negotiations The Central government will come halfway — literally — in its bid to prevent the thousands of landless poor now marching along National Highway 3 from actually reaching the capital. After two days of intense negotiations with the march’s organisers Ekta Parishad, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has decided to head to Agra — slightly before the halfway point of the Jan Satyagraha...

-Outlook Mumbai: Concerned over the loss the state exchequer may suffer due to allocating free houses to slum dwellers till 2000, the Maharashtra government is mulling over framing a policy whereby the slum dwellers will have to pay for the cost of housing. "We had taken an unfortunate decision of giving free houses to slum dwellers. It is now difficult to uphold that plan. We are planning to bring some policy that...

-The Economic Times The home ministry has sought the opinion of all states on whether offences like terrorism and organised crime can be treated as federal frames. It has forwarded the 5th Report of the second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) to states, asking for their comments on each of the 152 recommendations that relate to state governments. This report, submitted to the government in June 2007, is among the only two...

-The Hindustan Times A demand for the money allotted to her under Indira Vikas Yojana cost a mahadalit woman her life in Bihar's Gaya district. The former block pramukh, who had siphoned off the funds, allegedly sprinkled kerosene on Putukwa Devi and set her on fire. Putukwa Devi died in hospital on Sunday. The 35-year-old woman was a member of the poorest of dalits. The category was created by Chief Minister Nitish...

-The Business Standard Consumers should be free to choose their power distributor  Anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal’s recent campaign against power tariff increases by distribution companies in Delhi raises many valid issues, but the manner in which he has chosen to register his protests is unlikely to further that cause beyond a point. Instead, the campaign is likely to get embroiled in avoidable controversies, leading even to its derailment. In the first round...