Decoding the 'mystery' behind Maoists, the Centre has for the first time brought out in open many facts that have hitherto remained in official papers and urged aam aadmis to expose true colours of Red rebels in whatever ways they can, including use of social media like Facebook and twitter. In a document, brought out in the form of frequently asked questions (FAQs) last week, the Union home ministry has classified...

-The Business Standard   A proposed move by the Centre to slash natural gas supplies to phosphorous and potash-based (P&K) fertiliser manufacturing units has seen a number of farmer bodies, agro-experts and scientists raise a howl of protest. The move could seriously impact soil fertility, which in turn could hit food production in the country, they warned. Nutrients in soil are necessary to increase overall productivity of agri-commodities to help meet the country’s...

-The Hindu   Fears expressed over misuse of FoRest Rights Act Fearing that the FoRest Rights Act, 2006, will be used as a populist programme leading to ineligible people benefitting from land grants, the Director-General of FoRests has written to all Chief Secretaries of States to exercise Restraint in granting land ownership records (pattas). Kaushik Mukherjee, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Department of FoRest, Ecology and Environment, said this at the national-level workshop on...

-The Economic Times With roughly three years left for India to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the country has managed to show significant progress in 10 of the 22 indicators.  With impressive gains in improving primary education enrollment rate, promoting gender equality and increasing foRest cover, the country's lackluster performance in reducing overall poverty and health indicators has dragged down the performance of the overall South Asian region.  The millennium development goals...

-The Hindustan Times ‘The lives of female Hindoo subjects should be henceforth more efficiently protected; that the heinous sin of cruelty to females may no longer be committed, and that the most ancient and puRest system of Hin-doo religion should not any longer be set at nought by the Hindoos themselves.’ Replace ‘female Hindu subjects’ with ‘homosexuals’ and the exhortation for a return to an uncorrupted religious past with that of a...