-Times of India Sunday Times had on April 1 reported about Assam man Jadav Payeng's unparalleled feat of single-handedly growing a forest spread over 550 hectares on a sandbar in the Brahmaputra over 30 years. Following that, Jawaharlal Nehru University decided to have him over on Earth Day. On Sunday, Payeng was honoured at a function organized by the School of Environmental Sciences, JNU, for his remarkable achievement at a public...

It was Jawaharlal Nehru who said that ignorance is always afraid of change. In the light of this, there is no doubt that the Right to Education (RTE) Act is a courageous piece of legislation. But the 25% reservation clause for poor students in unaided private schools in the Act could end up facing serious operational problems. According to the law, the State will pay the private schools that admit...

Chennai comes up with innovative ideas. ‘Prime Point,' set up by a gentleman known in true Tamil Nadu-style as ‘Prime Point Srinivasan,' has instituted a set of awards for parliamentarians called Sansad Ratna Awards. ‘PP' felicitously chose Ambedkar Jayanti for the conferment ceremony this year and conferred the honour on four MPs: Anand Rao Adsul — Number 1 in Questions (754). The total tally of debates, private bills and questions raised...

-The Telegraph The Union urban development ministry has proposed three new taxes on private vehicle owners: on vehicle purchases, petrol and insurance. The aim is to fund public transport in cities and deter the use of private vehicles The Rs 40,000 crore that the ministry proposes to raise annually through the “green surcharge”, “green cess” and “urban transport tax” is to go to a national urban transport fund that will finance transport schemes. Urban...

-CNN-IBN The great Mughal emperor Akbar once asked if there was any man in his court unbound by his wife's command. The huge mass of his courtiers and public was stunned and stood huddled together barring one meek-looking man, who stepped away and stood alone. Akbar was curious and asked how such a submissive fellow was the only one brave enough to defy his wife. "I am not defying my wife,...