-Hindustan Times New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre whether its decision to bring in demonetisation was taken in absolute secrecy while hearing a bunch of petitions questioning the Narendra Modi government’s rationale behind the implementation of the policy. “When you made the policy on demonetisation, was it confidential?” the top court asked. Chief Justice TS Thakur also asked why the Centre’s order granting limit of Rs 24,000 per day...

-The Indian Express As part of the first supplementary grant of demands, the ministry had released an additional Rs 5,000 crore — a third of the Rs 15,000 crore the MoRD had demanded to meet increased expenditure in drought-affected states. The Ministry of Rural Development has sought Rs 10,000 crore for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) as part of the second batch of supplementary demand of grants, set...

-The Hindu People migrating due to environmental disasters should be accorded ‘refugee’ status in international law An increasing number of people globally are facing displacement due to droughts, famines, rising sea levels and other natural disasters caused by climate change. This class of migrants has been labelled as ‘environmental refugees’ in popular literature. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, an international body reviewing trends of internal displacement, an estimated 24 million...

-TheWire.in To oppose the forest department’s plan to limit open grazing, the pastoral community is formally pursuing their collective land rights through the Forest Rights Act. The sun has not yet decided to rise. It’s pitch black out but a group of Maldharis has already assembled for the last session of this year’s milking competition. Their massive buffalos are majestically adorned with intricate garlands and colourful necklaces. The panch (group of five...

-Down to Earth A high level UN panel on Access to Medicines wants members to make full use of TRIPS flexibilities to protect public health If ever India needed a clear endorsement of its laws on intellectual property rights (IPRs) and their application in meeting public health priorities, it has come from the highest quarters. The report of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel (HLP) on Access to Medicines has, directly...