-Down to Earth New norms for declaring drought are too stringent to be practical and are indicative of Centre’s intention to pass on the financial burden to states Karnataka government has opposed Centre’s move to change parameters for drought assessment. The new manual for drought management limits Centre’s scope to offer financial assistance to states in the eventuality of drought. Unlike the 2009 manual for drought management—which was a mere guideline...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The income tax department has identified an additional 67.54 lakh non-filers who carried out high-value transactions in the 2014-15 financial year, but did not file tax returns for 2015-16. The I-T department is set to initiate action against these people soon. The information was collected from banks and other financial institutions. Data analysis carried out by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) identifies non-filers about whom specific...

-The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement demonetising high denomination notes on November 8, 2016, will do little to address the prime objective of flushing out black money but will adversely affect the economy in the short term, especially the informal sector, which is predominant in India, says M. Govinda Rao, a Member of the Fourteenth Finance Commission and Emeritus Professor, National Institute of Public...

-The Hindu New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the government and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) whether they intend to just sit back and watch people gasp for breath and finally die in a polluted National Capital. “The courts are trying to monitor, the National Green Tribunal is trying to monitor the pollution... and there you are, just sitting there and waiting for people to die,” Chief Justice of...

-Hindustan Times New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday petitions on the air pollution crisis in Delhi amid mounting concern over a thick blanket of haze enveloping the city for a week. The top court asked the advocates of the central and state government to be present when the public interest litigations are heard on Tuesday. The court’s decision comes on a day the Centre and city lieutenant governor have called...