-The Telegraph   The Mamata Banerjee government today struck at the foundations of a crony real estate network that allegedly flourished during the reign of CPM leader Gautam Deb and was spreading its reach by co-opting operators from the Opposition as well. The government disbanded the authority that had arranged the land for Vedic Village, abolished the Hidco chairman’s quota for distribution of plots and decided to review all New Town land...

The success of the institution of Lokpal will depend on limiting its scope to the very top of the hierarchy. That will make it manageable and lead to accountability down the line. The drafting of the Lokpal bill is back in the news after the round of Assembly elections. The co-chairperson of the high-power committee involved in the drafting has said that progress is slow and that the June 30 deadline...

Agitators have threatened self-immolation if demands are not met The State government has opened negotiations with agitating farmers in Katesar village in Chandauli district bordering Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The farmers, who have been protesting the acquisition of fertile agricultural land for a cultural and institutional hub on the banks of the Ganga, continued with their dharna on Monday. They have threatened self-immolation if the land acquisition process launched by the Varanasi...

-The Times of India   Congress members on the Joint Parliamentary Committee on telecom policy on Monday aggressively questioned the government's chief auditor Vinod Rai over his estimate that revenues losses in the 2G scam could be as high as Rs 1.76 lakh crore. In what came across as a strategy to knock down the 2G scam losses from the staggering figure computed by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Congress MPs wanted to...

-IANS   Besides damaging environment, e-waste also endangers human health . E-waste, being a factor in oxidative stress, can trigger cardiovascular disease, DNA damage and possibly cancer, claims a recent study. E-waste, or electronic waste, describes end-of-life goods such as computers, TV, printers, and mobile phones. A large proportion of worldwide e-waste is exported to China. Due to the crude recycling process, many pollutants, such as persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals, are released from...