-Down to Earth Over 20 years of aerial spraying on cashew PLAntations in Kerala and other states has left many with mental and physical disorders The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, directed the Kerala government to pay Rs 500 crores in three months as compensation to over 5,000 victims of the use of Endosulfan pesticide. People, especially newborns, have suffered deformaties, health complications and loss of family members due to exposure to...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Centre today told the Supreme Court the amended version of the Whistle Blowers Act, 2011,would be PLAced before the Rajya Sabha in the budget session starting January 31, with the Lok Sabha having already passed it. Solicitor-general Ranjit Kumar gave this undertaking to a bench of Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud during the hearing of a PIL by an NGO, Parivartana. The hearing witnessed...

-The Hindu The Niti Aayog has called for a review of the provisions of the Right To Education Act that stipulate that children who don’t perform well cannot be held back up to class VIII. It said the good intention behind the norm is detrimental to the learning process. It has also suggested a system where direct benefit transfers offer the poor a choice between subsidised purchases or equivalent cash to buy...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Given the rapid proliferation of TV channels, the Supreme Court suggested on Thursday that the Union government set up a statutory mechanism to decide people's grievances against programmes broadcast on the visual medium. A bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud said, "We are of the view that the competent authority, having framed the rules under the Cable TV Network (Regulation)...

-Bangalore Mirror ICAR researchers say subsidised electricity benefitting only medium and large farmers Stating that the policy decision to provide free or subsidised electricity has been a key driver for widespread groundwater exploitation, estimates by ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Research Centre, Ballari, reveal that in Karnataka, groundwater depletion has forced farmers to drill up to depths of 200 to 300 metres, costing about Rs 2.5-3 lakh for a successful...