-The Hindu The former Chief Election Commissioner on the EVM controversy, why the Supreme Court’s verdict on criminals in politics is a missed opportunity, and electoral bonds The debate on the reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs) refuses to settle, with political parties continuing to voice their concerns about malfunctioning machines. Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi explains how EVMs work, why he is disappointed with the Supreme Court for refusing to...

-The Hindu Charter of demands presented to all parties in Rajasthan for action by next govt. Jaipur: Tribal groups in Rajasthan have demanded that the next elected government in the State reveal the status of each of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with reference to tribal communities and declare their status targets. The activists said that no political party had depicted its commitment to work for sustainable development of tribal people. A manifesto...

-The Hindu Allege harassment of those who questioned graft related to the MGNREGA scheme Patna: Noted economist and activist Jean Dreze and Right to Information activist Nikhil Dey, along with thousands of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) activists, on Friday protested against the “harassment and intimidation” of those who have raised questions of corruption related to the MGNREGA scheme in the Muzaffarpur district of north Bihar. The protest march led...

-The Hindu College dropout Jeeva turns life saver for residents of a remote island in the Krishna estuary EELACHETLADIBBA (Andhra Pradesh): Four years ago, when 22-year-old Sykam Jeeva dropped out of junior college unable to cope with academics, he began working at a clinic. A resident of Eelachetladibba island in the Krishna estuary, Mr. Jeeva picked up hands-on basic medical skills at the facility in Nagayalanka, the nearest town on the mainland. Today,...

-The Hindu Issues such as levy on warehousing, agri-project imports pose a challenge With the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) — India’s biggest reform in the tax structure — the government has succeeded in moving a step closer towards making the country a unified common market, leading the nation’s economy towards growth and sustainability. India’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector has grown consistently over the past three years, reaching over...