Except for the Left parties, none of the major political parties have given importance to land reforms and problems of landless people during the elections. The Janata Dal(U) and the RJD-LJP are silent on land reforms. In their manifestoes in the previous elections, they had devoted some space to declare their dedication to the problem of land reforms. According to the official sources, the last action of distribution of surplus land was...

The three partners of the Left alliance will agitate for implementation of the recommendations of the D Bandopadyaya Commission on land reforms. Releasing the manifesto of the CPM here on Wednesday, its state secretary, Vijaykant Thakur, said that the Left alliance would also ask the government to bring in drastic land reforms on the pattern on Tripura, West Bengal and Kerala. He claimed, "In our manifesto, the Left parties have given alternative...

As the 19th Commonwealth Games (CWG) ended here on Thursday, the Opposition parties on Friday raised the issue of “corruption” in organising the event and sought a thorough probe. They referred to the promises made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi that no one found involved in “corruption” would be spared after the Games were over. BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar told journalists, “I think the public-jury is out.”...

The Election Commission was the first to do it, and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has followed the example — the transgenders of India are finally being recognised by its government. Enrolment forms of the UIDAI will have a third column — ‘T’, for Transgender — along with the ‘M’ and ‘F’ for Male and Female respectively, so that over a million eunuchs can register their unique identities. The EC...

Delhi is an anxious city this monsoon season, struggling to meet an onerous deadline. Preparations continue at a feverish pace for the 19th Commonwealth Games (CWG), which will bear down on the Indian metropolis October 3-14, along with some 8,500 athletes from the 71 states and territories that were once part of the British Empire. Around-the-clock construction and spells of heavy monsoon rain have turned Delhi into a swirl of mud...