In yet another embarrassment for the Chandigarh Administration, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed it to “put on hold the acquisition of land for IT Park, Phase-III”. In a communication sent to the Administration on Monday evening, the MHA has minced no words in directing the Administration to stop the acquisition process and take prior permission from the ministry for acquisition of proposed projects in the peripheral area...

The implementation of the Right to Education Act will lead to decongestion of classrooms as it lays down strict teacher-student ratio norms. To ensure this provision is followed, the state government is planning to set up new buildings next to schools in which the teacher to student ratio is high. The new aided schools will be built with funds provided, in large part, by the Centre. A state government official, on condition of anonymity, said,...

Noted development economist and Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen talks about how government funds find their way into insurgent hands, and why the government is unable to check this. There are a number of reports that suggest that development funds are landing in the wrong hands. What are the various aspects of fund diversions? It's a well-reported fact that public money is finding its way into the hands of extremists. There...

It favours companies voluntarily labelling products as not containing GMOs Monsanto not looking beyond Bt corn Controls on seed pricing opposed Monsanto, the biotechnology major, holds the view that mandatory labelling of products made from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in India would make no sense. It favours options such as companies voluntarily labelling products as not containing GMOs, and individuals making a personal decision not to consume food containing GM ingredients. During an interview...

India has chalked out an ambitious plan to connect all the villages through telephony and Internet at an investment of Rs 15,000 crore, Sam Pitroda, an adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh , said today. "A note for this investment will be sent to the Cabinet very soon," Pitroda, adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information infrastructure and Innovations, told reporters here. The investment would come from Rs 24,000 crore accumulated...