-The Hindu Home Ministry wants the Chief Ministers to head the mechanism Concerned at Maoists augmenting their strike capabilities and getting more organised, the Centre wants the Chief Ministers of the worst naxal-affected States of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa to head their unified commands to deal with the threat more effectively. “In the past two years, these unified commands have been virtually lying defunct. They were supposed to meet once every month, but...

-Deccan Herald Farmers in Haryana villages have maintained insect equilibrium by pitting beneficial insects against the harmful. In the great Indian epic, Mahabharata, there is a telling story of the valiant Abhimanyu who died fighting while trying to pierce through a Chakravyuah (seven rings). Mahabharata tells us that Abhimanyu had learnt the art of smashing through the seven layers of the human chain of the Chakravyuah. In lot many ways, I find the...

-First Post A lot has been written in recent weeks about crony capitalism, but an important issue for the media to introspect over is this: can this happen without significant amounts of crony journalism? When media companies begin to think they can run coal plants, surely this compromises them (Lokmat Group, DB Corp). When political parties think they ought to own media houses or be aligned to one (YSR Congress’ Sakshi, the...

-The Hindu PM’s statement that seven States are naxal-affected is at variance with Home Ministry’s figure How many States are affected by left-wing extremism? The answer could vary, if one is to go by official statements made at different times. Addressing the annual conference of the DGPs/IGPs in Delhi on Saturday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said seven States were affected. He spoke about the “ability of left-wing extremists in increasing their numbers and...

On a day when villagers protesting against Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu were shot at and one of them killed, in Madhya Pradesh political compulsions finally brought victory of sorts on Monday, September 10, to villagers in Khandwa after a protest in neck-deep water for 17 days. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan agreed to reduce the water level at the Omkareshwar Dam to 189 metre. He has also agreed to form a...