When it was launched by the Centre 10 years ago, the Intensive Cotton Development Programme came as a ray of hope for cotton farmers in Punjab. The scheme was meant to enhance production through technology transfer, supply of quality seeds and educating and training the farmers — promising them a beautiful tomorrow. But 10 years down the line, the scheme has remained where it was for the cotton farmers, caught in...

Mamata Banerjee today told Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee over the phone that she wanted the amended land acquisition act to be sent to a standing committee, a move that will effectively delay its tabling till the Bengal elections are over next year. The Congress wants to table the bill in the winter session. “Given the sensitivity Attached to land acquisition in Bengal, we don’t want to take any risk during the Assembly...

An RTI activist filed a non-cognisable offence with the police on Saturday night, claiming that the workers of a builder were threatening him in his locality. The activist, Santosh Daundkar, had filed a petition regarding martyr Hemant Karkare’s missing bulletproof jacket during the 26/11 terrorist Attack. The FIR of the missing jacket was registered at the JJ Marg police station, following a complaint made by Daundkar in December 2009. Daundkar said he has...

KEY TRENDS   • Maternal Mortality Ratio for India was 370 in 2000, 286 in 2005, 210 in 2010, 158 in 2015 and 145 in 2017. Therefore, the MMRatio for the country decreased by almost 61 percent between 2000 and 2017 *14    • As per the NSS 71st round, among rural females aged 5-29 years, the main reasons for dropping out/ discontinuance were: engagement in domestic activities, not interested in education, financial constraints and marriage. Among rural males aged...

KEY TRENDS   • Section 105 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, which provides for excluding 13 Central legislation, including Land Acquisition (Mines) Act 1885, Atomic Energy Act, 1962, Railway Act 1989, National Highways Act 1956 and Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, from its purview, has been amended for payment of compensation with rigours $ • The amendments have now...