TARN TARAN, India—India's northern state of Punjab was once a symbol of the nation's economic progress, its advances in agriculture lauded world-wide as a spectacular feat that made India self-sufficient in food production. But Punjab today faces a grave economic crisis, the result of years of shoddy governance that have stunted growth and created such a mound of public debt that the state is now seeking a multibillion dollar bailout from...

-The Hindu   The All-India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) has condemned the latest increase in the price of petrol by Rs.5 a litre. “The increase is unwarranted, particularly because international prices of oil had shown a declining trend in recent weeks. This is indeed a Post-election gift to people from the UPA government,” a statement issued by AIDWA said on Monday. “For the common people, who were reeling under relentless price rise for...

Issues related to transportation of food grains persist in the 293 PDS outlets The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to appoint a nodal officer by May 31 in the Melghat region to coordinate the work of nine departments which, apart from the public distribution system (PDS), are engaged in tribal development and child welfare. This Post, meant for an IAS officer, had been lying vacant for more than two...

Manasi Manna of Singur hopes that Mamata Banerjee will return her one-acre plot, which had been acquired for the Nano project, after taking charge as chief minister. “My husband and I used to cultivate the land. We used to get three crops a year. We never had to worry about food. Everything came from that land. But after it was forcibly taken away for the small-car project, I have been forced...

In a significant order, the state Chief Information Commission (CIC) has ruled that the police department is liable to furnish such information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act which do not relate to state or national security or directly affect an ongoing investigation. The CIC said police agencies cannot deny information relating to general crimes to citizens under the RTI Act citing conditional exemption. The CIC order came on an RTI...