-The Hindu Business Line The IMD should be conferred autonomous status so that it functions along professional lines, without worrying about political correctness. Given how awry its forecasts in the last couple of years had gone, one can be forgiven for being cynical about the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) prognosis of a ‘normal' South-West monsoon this time. The country's official weather agency has predicted nationwide rainfall during the four-month monsoon season...

-The Hindu To bridge the gap in development between the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and non-SCs and STs, a coalition of more than 150 organisations is demanding a national law to prevent, once and for all, the diversion, non-release, non-implementation and lapsing of the Special Component Plans for SCs/STs. In response to the coalition's longstanding demands, the National Advisory Council's guidance and the letter Sonia Gandhi wrote to the Prime Minister...

-NDTV April 15, Gandhi Nagar, Delhi: A five-year-old girl is raped by two sexual predators, both young adults The shocking gang-rape has raised many questions. Where are the perpetrators of rape coming from? What makes them commit rape? To prevent sexual abuse and sexual violence against children, understanding the minds of the sex offenders is of utmost importance. Experts in the field of mental health and child abuse say perpetrators are like any of...

-The Hindu Allahabad: Almost two months have passed since the largest human gathering, the Maha Kumbh Mela, concluded here, registering a mammoth 100 million devotees over 55 days. Huge banners and hoardings welcomed visitors to an eco-friendly, ‘Green Kumbh,' spread this time over an extensive 4,000 acres. While the Uttar Pradesh government receives accolades for its management of the mega event - most recently through a presentation invite by Harvard University...

-The Hindu     Court asks Jharkhand government to submit action taken report Ranchi: There were protests here on Friday against the alleged rape and killing of a six-year-old girl who went MISsing on Wednesday and was found dead with strangulation marks on her neck and injuries on her genitals in the early hours of Thursday in Doranda. The girl, a student of class II, went MISsing soon after she returned home from school...