-The Hindu The Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA) has called the recent order of the Union Health & Family Welfare Ministry restricting radiologists/sonologists from visiting more than two clinics within a district to perform ultrasound tests and making it mandatory to specify their consulting hours at each clinic as “unconstitutional, undemocratic and ill-thought”. At a Press conference here on Thursday, IRIA president Harsh Mahajan said: “This latest order will create a...

-The Hindu Though there are improvements in employment and labour conditions on the work floor and in workers’ hostels in textile mills and garment factories in the State, “major labour abuses continue to occur,” according to the latest report by non-government watchdogs. The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) and the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) published a report, ‘Captured by cotton’, in May 2011 on the exploitation of Dalit...

-The Indian Express A public hearing for environmental clearance to the proposed Gorakhpur nuclear power plant in Fatehabad district of Haryana came to an abrupt end Tuesday when members of the Opposition INLD led by Abhay Singh Chautala stormed the venue to protest acquisition of land for the plant. Kuldeep Bishnoi-led members of the Haryana Janhit Congress also reached the venue in support of farmers and activists opposed to the project for...

-The Hindu In what apparently points to new caste and social tensions in the Samajwadi Party-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Dalits have been prevented from performing puja in temples by persons belonging to other castes in Bareilly and Chandauli districts in the past couple of days. Though the police claim that normalcy has been restored, a case has been registered on the complaint of a Dalit in Bareilly. According to a senior police officer,...

-The Times of India The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre whether political parties should be de-recognized calling for blockade of rail and road as part of their agitation which severely disrupted lives of ordinary citizens and movement of essential items, including foodgrains. A bench of Justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya posed this question to solicitor general R F Nariman as soon as he presented the Centre's suggestions...