Bamboo bows drawn taut and lethal arrow heads catching the sun's glint, the Baigas- a dwindling tribe in the remote jungles of Ranjara in Madhya Pradesh's Dindori district - are standing guard for their gods against whom they consider state-sponsored marauders. These lush jungles have been their homes for generations and Baigas worship trees as gods. Tribal men, women and children now stand guard, armed against axes and saws - ironically,...

-IANS The interim report of the two-member commission probing the Adarsh Society scam, related to the housing society originally meant for war heroes and Kargil widows, is likely to be submitted to the Maharashtra government Friday, officials said. However, it was not clear when or whether it would be tabled before the state legislature, the sources added. The report by the two-member commission of inquiry, comprising retired Justice J.A. Patil and former state...

-The Indian Express   CRPF in Abhujmaad shows how ‘liberated zone’ is a self-serving myth for Maoists and govt   In a never-before feat, the CRPF entered the mysterious heart of Maoist territory last month — over 6,000 sq km of jungle splayed across Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Abhujmaad, literally, the unknown hills, has been left to itself after the Maoists moved here in the 1980s and, having found no trace of administration, declared it...

Human-animal conflict, difficult terrain come in their way Until about two-and-a-half years ago, 10-year-old K. Nagaraj would go to Kovai Courtrallam every day, where he hawked fruits and snacks to tourists. On one such day, officials of the National Child Labour Project found the lad selling titbits and whisked him away to the special centre for rehabilitating child workers at Karunya Nagar, about 30-km west of Coimbatore. Nagaraj who was admitted to class...

The government says area under forests has been increasing for the last 13 years. ET finds this is the outcome of statistical jugglery and the use of flawed definitions by India's forest bureaucracy. The bald truth is India's forests are in serious decline, both in numbers and in health. In February, the latest instalment of a little environmental kabuki played out when the Forest Survey of India released its biennial report...