-The Hindu   States advised to give preference to drinking water and irrigation and enhance groundwater use. An alarming depletion in the water levels (at 57 per cent of last year’s storage) of important reservoirs, owing to the delayed and weak southwest monsoon, has prompted the Central Government to issue an advisory to the States on Monday to make “judicious and regulated” releases. The States have been advised to give preference to drinking water...

-The Economic Times Special Economic Zones will need to fulfill provisions of the proposed Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, if the rural development ministry has its way.  The draft bill, currently being circulated for inter-ministerial consultation, does not exempt land acquired under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, Works of Defence Act, 1903, and Cantonments Act, 2006, from adhering to the acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement provisions of the proposed legislation.  Acquisition...

-The Hindustan Times Condemning the attack on RTI activist Akhil Gogoi, the National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information (NCPRI) on Monday asked the Assam government to immediately disclose the Central Government’s report on tackling floods in the state. Gagoi, who is also general secretary of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), was assaulted while he was surveying the flood situation in Punni village, Dharmapur area of Assam and is currently in...

-The Telegraph RANCHI: Support for Nagri villagers on Sunday came from the largest opposition party of the state, the Congress. Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) chief Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu visited Nagri village to take a stock of the situation. "The situation is grim. The government's stand on the situation is pathetic. Any development at the cost of the livelihood of tribals is unjustified," Balmuchu said while assuring his support to the villagers....

-The Economic Times It's not just the drug regulator, where a parliamentary panel has alleged corruption, failing in its job. Drug regulation across entities that dot this broad landscape is in poor health and ineffective. In May, when a Parliamentary panel, during a routine examination of healthcare regulatory bodies, alleged corruption in the approval of new drugs, it was merely pointing out one symptom. Such symptoms pervade the entire drug regulation landscape,...