The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) standards is set to formulate a framework for quality services that should be provided to consumers and also talk about the benchmarks to deal with consumer complaints or after sales service in an effort to ensure quality in the services sector. At a meeting …

Justice Pattanaik was CJI only for just a little over a month, during which 24 judgments with benches of three or more judges were delivered. At the other end of the spectrum, former CJIs H.L. Dattu (68%), R.M. Lodha (67.5%), K.G. Balakrishnan (55.1%) and A.S. Anand (63.5%) used other collegium …

As Kerala struggles to come to grips with the worst floods in its history, the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure and restoration of livelihoods pose a daunting challenge for the State government. Initial estimates put the loss at Rs. 20,000 crore but officials feel the extent of the damage could be …

Every year, the Brahmaputra takes away chunks of land from Kaziranga National Park that on paper is 1,030 sq km in area. The park now measures 884 sq km and is shrinking. But the river gives more to the address of the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinos than it …

Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has, in a letter, raised serious objections to the rules governing the administration of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund. He has described them as a “blatant breach of assurances” given to Parliament. Here is a look at the key issues involved What is the Compensatory Afforestation …

The colonial-era Mullaperiyar dam has again become a source of friction between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Though the original dispute was over the appropriateness of the dam’s water level, Kerala, already reeling under severe adverse impact of floods, sprang a surprise by accusing Tamil Nadu of having carried out “sudden …

After being turned away by several landlords for months, Aftab Alam and his three friends, all of them doctors, finally found a place to rent in south Kolkata. Their elation, however, was short-lived. Soon after moving in, a neighbour told their landlord that they ought to be evicted, arguing, “Four …

Non-institutional moneylending at exorbitant interest rates is a complex phenomenon, with different facets in different regions. While the Karnataka government on Friday announced one-time discharge of loans availed from moneylenders through Debt Relief Bill, 2018, implementing this is a tough task, given the nature of rural lending. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/the-tentacles-of-moneylending-run-deep/article24783052.ece

Chief Justice Dipak Misra’s role as Master of the Roster was called into question by the other four judges in the Supreme Court collegium in January. While their complaint was about cases being “assigned selectively” to benches of “preference”, how have members of the collegium been represented in major cases …

As Scott Morrison assumes charge as Australia’s Prime Minister, the question is whether he can put an end to the country’s protracted political instability. He takes over from Malcolm Turnbull after a contest for the leadership of the Liberal Party, and is the sixth person to be Prime Minister in …

The catastrophic monsoon floods in Kerala and parts of Karnataka have revived the debate on whether political expediency trumped science. Seven years ago, the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel issued recommendations for the preservation of the fragile western peninsular region. Madhav Gadgil, who chaired the Union Environment Ministry’s WGEEP, has …

If one goes by conventional wisdom on how people vote, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who faces 15 years of anti-incumbency, should find it difficult to win another term when the State goes to the polls by the end of this year. This is suggested in the results …

Earlier this week, The New York Times surprised its readers, and shocked us reporters’ community, by dropping its reporters’ bylines on stories featured on its home page. The following day, its editors came up with the reasoning: many more readers now access the newspaper on their mobiles than the desktop; …

It is the afternoon of August 19, and the sky over central Kerala is a deathly yellow. Having sent down torrents of rain for days on end, it looks spent. From the naval Sea King helicopter in which I am seated, the view below is of a vast expanse of …

Power trading solutions provider PTC India on Thursday announced that it has operationalised the flow of 126 MW inter-state wind power commissioned capacity to beneficiary states. The power will be supplied to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, PTC India said. The commissioned capacities are part of Ministry of New …

Vedanta Ltd. is planning invest as much as $8 billion or Rs. 56,000 crore in expanding its oil and energy businesses in India. “As India’s largest private sector oil producer, Vedanta Limited contributes 27% to the domestic production and aspires to take it up to 50%,” said Navin Agarwal, chairman, …

Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu has sought a detailed report from aviation regulator DGCA on the grounding of A320 Neo planes due to snags in Pratt and Whitney engines. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has in the meantime, submitted preliminary details on the status of the planes …

In countering the Indo-Pacific strategy led by the U.S, China should forge closer ties with India, Japan and Australia, says an official media commentary. The article run on the website of China Global Television Network (CGTN) — the state-run broadcaster — argues that instead of staying aloof, China should positively …

Scott Morrison was on Friday sworn in as Australia’s seventh Prime Minister in 11 years, after a stunning party revolt against Malcolm Turnbull, which the new leader admitted had left the government “bruised and battered”. Former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, an ex-police officer and right-winger, was the driving force …

In a new war of nerves between them, the U.S and Pakistan have contradicted each other on whether terrorism was discussed during a congratulatory phone call to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday. Pakistan refuted the State Department statement that terrorism was discussed …