-The Times of India   Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Sunday said farmer welfare topped the government's list of priorities and that agriculture would undoubtedly be given maximum impetus. Talking to officials about his government's newest initiatives on the eve of the state-level bankers' committee meeting at his camp office, the CM urged them to ensure that all welfare measures for farmers are implemented in a transparent manner. He made it...

Justice B H Marlapalle, one of the most outspoken and distinguished judges of the Bombay high court, has set a new benchmark not only for members of the judiciary but even for high-ranking bureaucrats. A day after retirement, he vacated his official quarters and surrendered his vehicle too.  As per the norms, a judge can retain his official accommodation and vehicle for three months after retirement. During his career spanning over...

The Chhattisgarh High Court has directed that no further action be taken towards granting environmental clearance to a coal mine operated by DB Power Ltd, a subsidiary of DB Corp, one of India's largest media corporations. The respondents have been given three weeks to reply. A writ petition filed in the court accuses the company of adopting “deliberate, illegal and manipulative” measures to influence the outcome of a public hearing held...

-The Times of India   Neighbourhood private schools in Gurgaon would soon be identified as part of a state-wide exercise under the Right to Education Act (RTE). After identifying the schools, the tuition fee and other funds meant for the poor and needy children studying in them will be refunded.  Haryana education minister Geeta Bhukkal made the announcement while addressing the grievances of the people in her constituency, Jhajjar, on Sunday.  While cities like...

—PTI For the first time in the two-decade long turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir, a Valley-based human rights group has admitted that militants were responsible for more enforced disappearances than security forces. Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), an organisation seeking the whereabouts of missing persons in the State, said of the 132 cases it has documented, militant groups were responsible for 24 cases of enforced disappearances compared to 22 by...