-The Indian Express With the land acquisition ordinance set to lapse on April 5 and a united opposition blocking the amendment bill in the Rajya Sabha, the government is set to prorogue parliament after March 20 to facilitate re-promulgation of the ordinance. While the budget session, which began on February 20, is set to continue till May 8, a month-long recess is scheduled from March 20 to April 20. But the government...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Centre is weighing what appears a never-used parliamentary option to be able to re-promulgate the land acquisition ordinance before it lapses - having two budget sessions instead of a two-leg one. Ordinarily, the budget session is conducted in two halves, separated by a one-month recess. The first leg this year was to end on March 20 and the second leg to begin on April 20 and continue...

-The Telegraph Bhubaneswar: The Naveen Patnaik government has sought the corporate sector's help to finance its new Aahaar (food) scheme, under which rice and dalma would be served to people at lunchtime for Rs 5. The scheme would be launched on April 1, coinciding with the 79th foundation day of the state, in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rourkela. It would cater to 25,000 people every day. In Bhubaneswar, the subsidised food will...

-The Indian Express Sending a terse message to the government against "muzzling" voices of dissent, the Delhi High Court directed authorities Thursday to expunge the "offload" remark from the passport of Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai, remove her name from a database and allow her to travel abroad. Stating that the right of free speech and expression "necessarily includes the right to criticise and dissent", Justice Rajiv Shakdher, in a 39-page order, said:...

-Business Standard NC Saxena, former member of the Planning Commission and National Advisory Council has been critical of the land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement Act. He tells Kanika Datta why things are unlikely to improve with the amendments recently passed by the Lok Sabha. Edited excerpts: * You were critical of the LARR Act but less so of the ordinance. Why? Let me clarify. The 2013 Act was anti-farmer and anti-industry. The ordinance...