-The Hindu Not only is the death penalty barbaric and immoral and its deterrent effect unproven, it also contradicts the core objectives of the criminal justice system Advocating for the abolition of the death penalty in the immediate aftermath of the sentencing in the Delhi rape case may appear morally dubious. What rights do people guilty of so heinous a crime lay claim to, and what do they deserve but death, you...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Water scarcity is fast becoming urban India's number one woe, with government's own data revealing that residents in 22 out of 32 major cities have to deal with daily shortages. The worst-hit city is Jamshedpur, where the gap between demand and supply is a yawning 70%. The crisis is acute in Kanpur, Asansol, Dhanbad, Meerut, Faridabad, Visakhapatnam, Madurai and Hyderabad - where supply fails to meet...

-Frontline Riding roughshod over farmers' concerns, the Gujarat government notifies a project to develop the Mandal-Becharaji Special Investment Region, an industrial hub spread over 50,884 hectares, affecting 44 villages. But the villagers see it as a real estate scam and are determined to resist it. GUJARAT may soon have several new townships. The Narendra Modi-led government has proposed to set up 13 special investment regions (SIRs), which are essentially industrial hubs...

-The Economic Times The government, reportedly, is creating a new composite development index to rank states that use new, more comprehensive criteria. Since the 12th Finance Commission recommended special grants for backward regions, in addition to special allocation of Plan funds to so-called Special Category states, there has been some enthusiasm among state leaders for accentuating their respective state's backwardness. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has invested a lot of political...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Even while the capital decks up to usher in the 67th Independence Day, the abysmal state of its public toilets has left Delhi high court shocked. A court-appointed panel of scientists from Central Pollution Control Board informed HC on Wednesday that many city toilets have been converted into shelters for goats and stray animals, most having either broken doors or no doors at all, lacking power...