-The Times of India   A 48-hour bandh began in the Visakha Agency with hundreds of tribals with the support of all political parties enforcing it to protest the proposed bauxite mining in the area. The tribals themselves checked all vehicles in a bid to prevent the central expert committee from going ahead and conducting its survey. The four-man committee appointed by the Union ministry of environment and forests was scheduled to undertake...

The recent Cabinet nod to the National Food Security Bill triggered a flurry of criticism in the mainstream media, focusing mainly on the financial implications. The cost of the Bill obviously needs careful scrutiny and public debate, but it’s a little sad to see so much concern with the cost, and so little interest in what the Bill can do to improve people’s lives. The barrage of attacks was predictable —...

-The Telegraph   The Right to Education (RTE) Act does not Bar any child from outside the “neighbourhood” to participate in the lottery system for admission to schools — contrary to what the Bengal government has been claiming. The enforcement of such a radius rule yesterday had triggered a near-riot in a Malda school that cited a government directive and disallowed applicants who reside beyond 1km from participating in a draw. State governments are...

-The Times of India   Police have arrested four persons on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in the murder of Dyurdhan Swain, a construction company worker, during a clash at the proposedPosco project site near Dhinkia in Jagatsinghpur district last week, said OIC (Kujang police station) Gupteswar Bhoi. The accused were identified as Lalita Bhujabala, Sanatan Mohanty, Loknath Swain and Chandrasekhar Patanaik of Paradip. They were reportedly aides of Bapi Sarkhel, the controversial...

-The Business Standard   Faced with a supply glut, potato farmers in Gujarat headed to streets and dumped thousands of kilos of potato in Deesa, a major potato market in the state on Tuesday. Farmers demanded an intervention from the state government with a financial assistance to the farmers, who are facing a steep fall in the potato prices at Rs 1 per kg in recent weeks. "We had approached the government about...