The Punjab Police on Saturday arrested from neighbouring Haryana Ranjeet Singh Rana, an alleged drug smuggler who was wanted in connection with a 532-kg heroin haul from Attari last year, officials said. He was arrested from a hideout in Haryana's Sirsa district, the police officials said. Facing over 10 criminal cases, Rana alias Cheeta was one of the key links in the network engaged in smuggling a large number of consignments of drugs and illegal weapons through the Indo-Pak border, the police said. Among other cases, Rana was wanted in the narcotics haul case in which the Customs department seized 532 kg of heroin worth Rs 2,700 crore on June 29, 2019 from 600 bags of rock salt at the Integrated Check Post in Amritsar's Attari. Rana was said to be the kingpin of the narcotics haul. "We have nabbed him (Ranjeet) from Sirsa," Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta told PTI. His brother Gagandeep Singh was also arrested, the state police chief said. Giving details of the

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav was discharged from a Lucknow hospital where he was admitted after he complained of stomach and urine-related issues. The Samajwadi Party founder, admitted to Medanta Hospital on Wednesday, was discharged on Saturday afternoon and he is fine now, party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said. He had gone to the hospital for a routine check-up but the doctors admitted him for observation, Chaudhary said. Chaudhary said Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav met him on Friday and enquired about his health.

IIT Kharagpur Director V K Tewari has said central institutes like the IITs and NITs have a major role to help the micro, medium and small enterprises (MSME) by guiding them to manufacture personal protective equipment, parts of diagnostic kits and other products required in the Covid-19 era. Tewari advocated creating mobile apps for the MSMEs, hit hard by the novel coronavirus triggered lockdown, to provide them with training by the institutes. "For instance, if we provide them (MSME units) with designs of gloves, masks meeting certain guidelines, they can come up with products in 3-4 months. Similarly, these enterprises can be roped in for making parts of diagnostic kits and PCR machines... after required training," he said. Delivering an address on Facebook Live on the page of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishads (ABVP) West Bengal unit on Friday, the IIT-KGP director suggested that such units may also be asked to produce PPE. "We have to know what the MSMEs want, what .

As movie theaters sit empty during the coronavirus pandemic, some films are being released direct to streaming services and digital platforms, shaking up a distribution model that's been in place for decades. WSJ explains.

A growing number of hospitals are investigating antibody testing and blood plasma therapy as a way to combat the new coronavirus in sick patients. WSJ’s Daniela Hernandez explains. Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann

Tara Reade, who has accused former Vice President Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her, said the presumptive Democratic nominee “should not be running” for president, in her first on-camera interview since Mr. Biden denied the allegations. Photo: Megyn Kelly/Associated Press

Understanding how the body clears the new coronavirus is becoming more important as the U.S. begins to reopen. WSJ’s Daniela Hernandez explains how the body fights infection and why feeling better doesn’t equal being virus-free. Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann

The increased use of personal and commercial drones is raising questions about where they should be permitted to fly, and who should make that decision. The FAA estimates drone sales will reach 7 million by 2020. Photo: John Weber for The Wall Street Journal

As the coronavirus forces would-be travelers to stay indoors, travel deals are popping up online. Don’t be easily swayed. WSJ’s Scott McCartney breaks down how to avoid risky travel. Photo: Getty Images

Textbooks for 800 schools in eight states were revised after a study on the teaching of environmental concepts. A Pune-based institute has recently begun an evaluation of the revisions, reports Rasika Dhavse.

Why exactly do we need to link our rivers? Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Shama Perveen of IIM Kolkata present a sweeping analysis of some important justifications on which the Interlinking project stands.

Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Shama Perveen
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Why exactly do we need to link our rivers? Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Shama Perveen of IIM Kolkata present a sweeping analysis of some important justifications on which the Interlinking project stands.

Why exactly do we need to link our rivers? Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Shama Perveen of IIM Kolkata present a sweeping analysis of some important justifications on which the Interlinking project stands.

The rules notified in April to operationalise biodiversity legislation appear to exclude those opposed to treating public biological resources as private intellectual property. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Except a standout municipality in AP, none of the other towns and cities in India are complying with a Supreme Court directive on waste management. Surekha Sule reports.

Polyvinyl chloride or PVC is all around us. It is one of most versatile of plastic materials and its global production is at 40 million tonnes a year. Yet, PVC products are being phased around the world, and India may need to follow. Rasika Dhavse has more.

The formal count of the number of tigers in India's 28 tiger reserves is expected to be announced on 31 December 2007. The report could help formulate policies of land use as well as accentuate the debate on rehabilitation of forest dwellers in favour of wildlife conservation, writes Malini Shankar.

The Delhi High Court has fined an environment regulator, and ordered the Ministry of Environment and Forests to act within weeks on directives that it has ignored for over three years. Kanchi Kohli reports.

One of the great biodiversity hotspots of the country comes under threat from a proposed power plant, and environment regulators can't seem to make up their mind whether the area should be protected or not. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The transformation from consumerism to sustainability depends critically on how we change our culture, scientists and philosophers at an annual forum meeting in Italy agreed. Darryl D'Monte reports.

With the formation of the Green Tribunal, its predecessor, the NEAA has ceased to exist. But the NGT is not fully ready to hear cases, and this has put the regulatory environment off-course. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The denouement at Cancun wasn't all that different from Copenhagen. India agreed to take on binding emission cuts, while industrial countries did no more than make sympathetic noises. Darryl D'Monte reports.

The government ignored many chances to protect people's lvelihoods in an ecologically sensitive area. But a hail of police firing on protestors forces a rethink. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The National Green Tribunal's judgement in the POSCO case has implications for many other industrial development projects in the country. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.

The SC orders the government to constitute an independent environmental regulatory authority. While the flaws in the current arrangement are plain, it is not clear if independence of the regulator alone can address these, writes Kanchi Kohli.

Could India’s inflexible and rather aggressive attitude in global climate negotiations jeopardise its domestic mitigation of the real threats from climate change? Darryl D’Monte summarises the key take-aways from a TISS conference that dwelled upon this and related issues.

Per Biological Diversity Act, 2002 before using any Indian biological material for commercial or R&D purposes, public consultation is needed via the local Biodiversity Management Committees, which the National Biodiversity Authority wants to do away with. Kanchi Kohli and Shalini Bhutani ask why.

Himanshu Upadhyaya takes a close look at the Critically Polluted Areas mentioned in a recent CAG audit report on the environmental clearances and post clearance monitoring process of Ministry of Environment.

Hasmukh Dhumadia narrates his experience of helping the local residents of a village in Gujarat in their fight for environmental justice.

In this edition we look at the implications of the recent amendent to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), the performance of the present government which completed one year in the office, the poor menstrual hygiene effecting our older school-going girls, the sad state of sanitary conditions in the slums of Assam, how Muslim women are stepping out to set up businesses in Kashmir while in Uttar Pradesh they suffer as their husbands are being branded a terrorist, the review of Harsh Mander's latest book, and much more.

In this edition we celebrate the World Mental Health Day by bringing you stories of some mental illness surviors, we remember the Father of the Nation with a review of film Gour Hari Dastaan inspired by his ideals. We also take a look into why developing Amravati, the capital Andhra Pradhesh, in the land earmarked for it could be a disaster, the pollution caused by chemical factories in Vapi , the corruption that is derailing our Tribal Sub Plan and more.

We wish you a happy and prosperous New Year 2016. We hope you will continue to support our in-depth, non-partisan journalism by donating generously to India Together at https://www.payumoney.com/paybypayumoney/#/B592DB569E40F8E281ACF34D39FFFA06.
 
We end an eventful 2015 by looking into the controversial Maheshwar Hydropower Project, what is happening to several forest cases, how some sex workers are empowering themselves by gaining legal knowledge, an interesting learning institute called Adivasi Academy, and much more.

In this edition, we find out how free speech and dissent has never been welcomed in our country by any of the ruling parties, why the approval of the Hubli-Ankola railway line is not yet final, the gaps in the social security law for unorganised sector being proposed by the finance minister, the brutal and brave stories of some rape survivors, and more.

In this edition, we celebrate the International Women's Day by bringing out inspiring stories of Soni Sori and the girl footballers from Chennai. We also look into why India's solar mission is in dispute with WTO, the Good Samaritan guidelines that are made compulsory now, and more.

Ruling on a petition by French environmental groups and Greenpeace, France's conseil d'Etat (Supreme Court) suspended the decision to send the decommissioned warship Le Clemenceau to India for scrapping. Three days before his arrival in India on a brief visit, President Chirac ordered the recall. Gopal Krishna finds out more.

Harishchandrachi Factory is a wonderful account that traces the man who made history as much as the first film he made, marking a milestone forever. Shoma Chatterji reviews the film.

Moner Manush is contemporary and topical as it talks of peace, harmony and religious tolerance at a time when India is ridden by fundamentalism and intolerance in different pockets. Shoma Chatterji reviews the film.

At a time when we're drifting away from Gandhiji and the values he stood and fought for, a film like Gour Hari Dastaan comes as a reminder of what we've lost and forces us to reflect on why. Shoma Chatterji reviews this film about a Gandhian and his fight to prove that he was indeed a freedom fighter.

New Delhi's two months time for feedback on its draft Coastal Management Zone notification expired on 8 July. Activists say the proposed law will make way for beach-front villas and water-front recreation parks and do little to protect the rights of fisherfolk and the environment. Krithika Ramalingam reports.

A number of NGO-run schools in Tamilnadu are making a clear difference in helping underprivileged chilren get a better shot at the real world, in comparison to state-run schools. Still, the schools themselves need help, finds Krithika Ramalingam.

The hype that surrounded the introduction of Bt Cotton has now predictably proven false, says Devinder Sharma.

India's position is opaque, based on incomplete research, and unresponsive to public health and food security issues. Dr. Suman Sahai lists recommendations from a national symposium.

A New Delhi based non-profit organization has filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court against commercialisation of GM crops until a sound regulatory and monitoring system is put in place.

How does one countenance a regulator that does not adhere to the law of the land and is also unable to protect the interest of one group against another? The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, says Bhaskar Goswami, itself needs to be regulated to ensure it plays a balanced role.

Following Gene Campaign's challenge to the government's decision to withdraw all existing regulatory oversight over the import of GE foods, the Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre, writes Suman Sahai.

Any discussion of GM crops must take place within the larger framework of the indispensable need to promote biodiversity and set up agricultural policies linked to this need, writes Sujatha Byravan.

Researchers around the country gathered to discuss solutions to the key water-related problems India faces. From conflicts between states, to water-saving agricultural practices, to receding glaciers, a number of issues were raised, and their economic and social implications weighed. Surekha Sule reports.

The construction of barrages to meet the water needs of thermal power plants in western Chattisgarh shows that irregularities involved in the allocation of this resource may be as large as the ones in coal allocation itself. Shripad Dharmadhikary throws light on the issue.

New regulations from the environment ministry require coal-based thermal power plants to stick to legally binding limits for water consumption. Shripad Dharmadhikary examines the implications of these rules.