The state government has proposed to spend more than Rs7,300 crore on the ailing agriculture sector — in desperate need of assistance after registering negative growth in the previous financial year — and on irrigation. However, this may not translate into direct assistance to farmers. Moreover, this year’s state budget continued to neglect dry land farming – which is of serious concern in view of erratic weather conditions – and has...

-PTI Despite initiating steps to prevent crime in trains and stations, there has been an increase in cases of misconduct against women passengers. As per data available with the Railways, a total of 712 cases including rape, murder, robbery and eve-teasing were reported against women and children in railway premises in 2011 as against 501 cases in the previous year. There were 15 rape and 362 eve-teasing cases reported in 2011 as against...

-PTI   Within hours of Supreme Court dismissing the review petition in the Vodafone's tax case, government on Tuesday refunded about Rs 2,500 crore plus four percent interest to the firm. When asked, a Vodafone spokesman said "the money has been refunded--Rs 2500 crore plus four per cent interest". Earlier, Law Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters that the government would have to repay the money. "To curative petition to my knowledge ... I suppose...

The Supreme Court dismissed the government’s review petition in the Vodafone tax case on Tuesday, affirming its January ruling that put overseas transfers of shares outside the Indian tax net. The review petition and last week’s budget proposals seeking retrospective changes have revived the uncertainty over tax laws, according to government officials, the Planning Commission and businesses. If Parliament passes the budget in its current form, the judgement in the Vodafone case...

-The Times of India Diversion of foreign contribution by NGOs is not limited to the 12 organizations whose cases were referred for probe recently. The muck, in fact, runs much deeper with official figures showing that the government has taken action against at least 160 voluntary bodies, including referring 24 cases to CBI and seven to different state police for investigation in the past three years. Besides, 70 NGOs have been prohibited...