-Live Mint Almost two decades after the Panchayati Raj Act was notified, a key aim of the legislation remains unfulfilled Papapatti/Madurai district: S. Muruganadam, 38, is the Dalit president of the Papapatti village panchayat in Madurai district and a post-graduate in political science. His term ends in 2016 and he has made up his mind not to run for re-election. "I think a panchayat president's post is an Important post because only...

-The Times of India The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a legislation to protect the livelihood ofstreet vendors and provide them more legal vending space in urban areas. Once it becomes law, street vendors hoped it could shield them from unabated harassment and extortion by police and municipal officials. Anxious to regain confidence of aam aadmi ahead of 2014 general elections, the housing and urban poverty alleviation (HUPA) ministry has fixed...

-The Hindu Instead of opening a debate on the Gadgil panel's report on the Western Ghats, the government has chosen to sideline and replace it with another by an alternate group This is a challenging time in India's development history where a number of tenets of environmental governance are being questioned by the imperative of growth. Environmental governance in India is under assault, and is thus in need of both fresh thinking,...

-The Hindu The move may save the government around Rs. 5,000 crore   The Union Cabinet, on Wednesday, gave its go-ahead for slashing the subsidy on phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilisers for this fiscal. The move is expected to save the government around Rs. 5,000 crore. The decision to cut subsidy has been taken in view of falling global prices. Despite the reduction in subsidy, the government is hopeful that the maximum retail price (MRP) of...

-The Economic Times The UPA government's flagship employment guarantee programme can play an Important role in conserving natural resources and sustaining water supply and food production, according to a study. Conceived to provide livelihood security for the rural poor, the scheme can also help reduce and counter the impact of climate change in villages, according to the study, "Environmental Benefits and Vulnerability Reduction through Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme"...