-Tehelka By brazening it out against graft allegations, our netas are mocking common decencies. IT IS extremely unlikely that India Against Corruption, or the political arm it has promised, will win too many votes or even a single seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. It goes without saying though that at the current juncture, it is winning a perception and media battle against the political class. Each time a politician is...

-The Hindustan Times The recent spurt in protests against projects from Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu to Mahan coal block in Madhya Pradesh to Tata’s Power Plant in Mundra, Gujarat, has raised a key question --- are American and European philanthropic groups supporting these agitations?   A conference organised by such groups from the two most developed regions of the world --- US and Europe --- in Istanbul this July provides an insight how...

-The Indian Express Alleging an extortion bid by Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra and senior executives of news channels owned by his group, Congress MP and Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) chairman Naveen Jindal Thursday released video clips which purportedly show that the media group sought a Rs 100-crore advertising deal for not airing adverse reports against JSPL on the coal block allocation controversy. The video clips purportedly show Zee News...

-The Business Standard TV channel says evidence 'farcical', meant to deter coverage of coal block allocation scam Naveen Jindal, chairman of Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) and Congress leader from Haryana, on Thursday alleged the Subhash Chandra-promoted news broadcaster Zee News Ltd tried to blackmail his company and extort Money. Jindal played video clips to a packed media gathering in support of JSPL’s allegation that Zee News demanded Rs 100 crore from...

-The Business Standard The rural jobs scheme can boost productivity in farm and textiles sector. There is mounting evidence that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005, under which 100 days of guaranteed wage employment a year was to be provided to target households, is failing to meet its stated objectives. The total cumulative expenditure since 2005 under the MGNREGA is officially estimated to be Rs 1,50,000 crore, and the...