The National Advisory Council hopes to finalise the draft of Communal and Sectarian Violence Bill, 2010, and bring it out for public scrutiny shortly.
Sources in the NAC said they have resolved the differences within the drafting committee and the final draft would have provisions to fix accountability of public officials at all levels and provide relief and rehabilitation of the victims in the event of a communal violence incident.

The border guarding forces of India and Bangladesh will soon begin a “Joint Retreat” ceremony on the border where troops of both countries, dressed in full regalia, will perform the retreat — ceremonial lowering of flags — similar to the tradition prevalent along the Indo-Pakistan border.

Indian nuclear experts have expressed serious concern about the fears of a catastrophic meltdown and the release of radiation following the massive tsunami that hit Japan on Friday.

The MoEF has issued a showcause notification to the detergent firm, Nirma Ltd company, revoking their environment clearance to set up a cement factory at the Padhiarka village in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district. The 1.91 million tonne per annum cement factory, with its coke oven and captive power plants, was being built over the Samadhiyala reservoir which had been constructed by the government to provide water for irrigation purposes to the local farmers.

With concern rising across the country about the fate of 53 Indian citizens still held captive by pirates, and the Opposition seeking to exploit the issue, senior government officials told a group of editors at a South Block briefing here on Saturday morning that India was examining a range of options to tackle the growing menace — including the first-ever law on piracy enacted in this country, which would provide for stiff penalties.

UP chief minister Mayawati’s problems never seem to end.
Yet another of her ministers is now in the dock — this time for allegedly kidnapping a junior engineer of the power department at Orai in Jalaun district.

Hinting at desperate need for a complete overhauling of the system of politics and governance at the top level in the country, senior BJP leader L.K. Advani on Saturday asserted that if 2010 was the “year of scams”, the Opposition will try and ensure that 2011 becomes the “year of accountability”.

The high-powered committee set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to review the controversial Antrix-Devas deal submitted its report on Saturday.
The PM has asked Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrashekar to examine the report submitted by the committee comprising former Cabinet secretary and member Planning Commission, B.K. Chaturvedi and Roddam Narsimha and recommend follow-up action within 15 days.

Regional leaders are gradually losing their control over the Centre. While the TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and the Marxists had played the role of a kingmaker during the NDA and UPA-I regime and the regional leaders might have compelled the Congress to back the United Front government earlier, they are now slowly

The Congress on Saturday started the process of shortlisting its nominees for the five poll-bound states and the party’s Central Election Committee took up Assam.
The CEC, headed by party chief Sonia Gandhi and attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is said to have finalised the names of most of the candidates for the first phase of poll in the 126-member Assembly.