-The Telegraph Decision was kept closely guarded to root out the menace of black money, money laundering, tax evasion and other illegal activities: Modi government The Centre on Wednesday defended the 2016 demonetisation policy, saying “the withdrawal of the legal tender character of a significant portion of total currency value was a well-considered decision” taken after extensive consultations with the RBI. The decision was kept closely guarded to root out the menace of...

-The Hindu At the Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Greece urges India to ensure full implementation of freedom of religion and Germany expresses concern about the status of human rights India appreciates the role of human rights defenders, journalists and activists in the democratic system but the activities of these groups and individuals should be in conformity with the law of the land, said Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta at the Human Rights...

-The Telegraph The Telegraph reports on a riverine community’s determination to save its environs Once upon a time, when my forefathers were looking for land to settle down, they found this barren sandbar and decided to make it a habitable place,” says Nani Roy, 42, a resident of Manachar. Char is the Bengali word for sandbar. Manachar is the sandbar that extends from Durgapur Barrage to Panagarh in Burdwan district. About three...

-South Asia Netwrok on Dams, Rivers and People In addition to destruction of rivers eco-system and disruption of environmental services to riparian communities, the illegal and unsustainable sand mining practices in India have also been causing avoidable violence and accidents resulting in scores of human deaths and injuries on annual basis. However, there is no comprehensive picture emerging on this man made disaster. To fill the gap, SANDRP has been trying...

-The Telegraph The victims include a child and six women, aged between seven and 52, and a newly married couple Bolpur (Birbhum): The charred bodies of at least eight persons were found in two houses at Bogtui village on the outskirts of Birbhum’s Rampurhat on Tuesday amid allegations that they were burnt alive in retaliation to the killing of Bhadu Sheikh, a Trinamul leader, on Monday night. Calcutta High Court steps in, to...