Recent student protests in Tamilnadu may have had the Sri Lankan issue and the Indian governmental stance on it as the immediate trigger, but in reality, the dynamics go much deeper and need to be viewed in a broader context. Gnana Bharathy analyses.

The easy availability of Bt Cotton seeds without consent from the government is making a mockery of the regulatory environment. Ashok Sharma reports.

Lobbyists for agri-business interests will promote their agenda, naturally, but we must judge the merit of introducing more GE crops in India ourselves. Common sense, and all the data that is open to scrutiny, suggests that we should not, says P V Satheesh.

S G Vombatkere writes his concluding opinion on the series on the proposed gigantic network of interlinked rivers.

Subsurface dams can force untapped waters to the surface, making more water available downstream without major ecological and human costs, says Jagadiswara Rao.

The expectations with which the Haryali watershed management programme was introduced are slowly being dashed. The programme's poor guidelines, along with power struggles and inadequate local knowledge, have made it victim to the same old politics. Surekha Sule reports.

The latest draft of the Water Policy is a clear improvement over the previous one, and appears to have taken on board many of the objections to earlier provisions. Still, much more should be done, writes Shripad Dharmadhikary.

Last month, the Bombay High Court passed an order to shift IPL matches scheduled for the month of May out of the state of Maharashtra citing an acute water shortage in some parts of the state for its decision. PRS Legislative Research, answers some basic questions about ground water and its depletion in our country.

In our system of criminal justice, the state takes up the responsibility to prosecute offenders on behalf of victims. Although public prosecutors are theoretically independent, in practice they face a number of improper influences. Bikram Jeet Batra surveys the prosecution system in India, and finds it in need of much change.

Two different bodies established by successive governments have made recommendations for sweeping changes to the system of representation and governance in urban areas. The opportunity is now at hand to bring these together, and ensure that wards are accessible and accountable to urban residents. Vinay Baindur reports.

The Police Act Drafting Committee's term came to an end on 31 January. Any significant attempt to reform the Indian police must begin with the men at the bottom, the constabulary, not at the top. However, such changes would call for a struggle against the nature of Indian society itself, says former IPS officer K S Subramanian.

Our organically grown urban areas are very close to being the ideal mixed-land-use places that the West is now attempting to create. To leverage this phenomenon, there must be incentives to encourage development in the inner cities instead of in sprawling suburbs, writes Madhav Pai.

Both the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister recognised that rehabilitation for Sardar Sarovar dam on the Narmada river was incomplete, but neither was willing to fulfil their legal responsibility to actually stop construction. Instead, the the Shunglu Committee is now "independently" investigating rehabilitation and it appears compromised, worries Mike Levien.

In mineral-rich lands, adivasis still find it hard to make ends meet. Violence between the state and Naxals threatens to divide and disenfranchise them further. Freny Manecksha reports.

Even as the CAG audit findings find faults with SSNNL for diverting the central funds from canal construction to unintended purposes, permission has been granted to raise the Narmada dam height. Himanshu Upadhyaya. points out this irony and more.

Apathetic, inefficient government and mindless pursuit of Western consumerist ideals by a few have brought India's marginalized millions to a state where the judiciary has to intervene to enforce the most basic of rights. Often, without effect, as Sakuntala Narasimhan finds.

It is an opportunity for the President to assert the authority and independence of his office by rejecting a clearly political move that is a slap in the face of constitutional morality, writes Nitin Pai.

Close to 2000 Rohingya Muslims displaced by the bloody riots in Myanmar's Rakhine province have settled in Hyderabad over the last three years, hoping to rebuild their lives. How do they live and how is the city dealing with the phenomenon, given India's inchoate refugee laws? Tejaswini Pagadala tries to find out.

The present government completed one year in the office in May this year. It came to power by promising to bring achhe din for the Indians, who were frustrated with high inflation, corruption and policy paralysis during the last government. Pradeep Baisakh objectively analyses the performance of the Modi government in its first year.

It has been more than 3 decades since the scheme of Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan was implemented. It was given statutory status by converting it into an Act in Karnataka in 2013.  Kathyayini Chamaraj examines the promises of the scheme and Act and questions the outcomes.

27-year-old Nandlal Master was born into a saree weaver's family. Today, he is a leader in the Mehdiganj area of Varanasi District, and runs classes for children who would otherwise be stranded. He has also led a local movement on water that has become a problem for Coca Cola as well as the local administration, writes Sandeep Pandey.

Chitta Behera points out that the otherwise progressive draft Right to Information Act 2004 (prepared by the National Advisory Council) could do with some additional fine-tuning while still under review within the offices of our government.

Lawmakers at New Delhi recently passed the Right to Information Bill. The legislation provides for an information commission with powers to enforce transparency. An officer who delays disclosure will be liable to pay a penalty of Rs 250 for every day's delay. Prakash Kardaley is optimistic about the bill about to become law.

A year after the right to information became a reality, a reluctant government and its indifferent officials are finding it too burdensome to carry it forward. So, attempts are on to find sideways and steer clear of it except in Bihar, where RTI complaints are being taken over phone, says Arvind Kejriwal.

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 aims to create safer workplaces for women in particular. However, as Anagha Sarpotdar points out, without deeper discussion and interpretation of its provisions, prevention of abuse at workplaces may remain a pipe dream.

Fashion designer Eileen Fisher tells WSJ's Veronica Dagher how she discovered that money isn't the answer to all of life's problems, why she's committed to sustainable fashion and what motivates her to meditate on death.

Fashion designer Eileen Fisher on trend-free fashion and the limits of technology.

The trend of traditional consumer goods companies buying newer cosmetic brands is only increasing, and skin care specifically is experiencing an exceptionally lucrative boom. But analysts suggest that some of the more recent acquisitions in the beauty industry are the first signs a skin-care bubble may pop.

The world’s first Porsche, built in Nazi-era Germany, is going up at auction. WSJ’s Dan Neil got to take the 1939 Type 64 Berlin-Rome Rennwagon for a drive. Photo: Jack Schroeder Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Teenage girls are hardwired for drama, according to Family therapist Colleen O'Grady, author of "Dial Down the Drama." But there are key ways daughters and mothers can find common ground. She offers tips for keeping the peace on Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero. Photo: iStock

Adults often think teens just zone out on Instagram and Snapchat, but when WSJ's Julie Jargon sat down with high schoolers in Sherman Oaks, Calif., they said there are times when social media socializing gets to them and they have to put the phone down. They also shared their decisions to make their accounts private or public-and why it's better not to post every feeling. Photo/Video: Emily Prapuolenis/The Wall Street Journal

Jonathan Van Ness, host of “Queer Eye” on Netflix, reveals his favorite member of the Fab Five, shares self-care tips for the Instagram age and predicts his own future.

First lady Melania Trump presented radio personality Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during President Trump’s State of the Union speech. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Competitors may especially worry about losing higher-income customers.

Mary Ann Bartels, CIO of portfolio solutions at Merrill Lynch, says low interest rates will continue to support U.S. stocks, and emerging market stock valuations are "the best on the planet."

Oprah Winfrey, Rex Tillerson, and Abby Wambach were just a few of the notable people chosen to give commencement addresses that stressed integrity, truthfulness, and courage. Here are some highlights from this year's speeches.

President Trump outlined new federal guidelines on April 17 to reopen the country, saying governors should take a "phased and deliberate approach" to restart their state economies. Photo: William Volcov/Zuma Press

After weeks with nonessential businesses closed, many dog owners are stuck with shaggy pups that are barely recognizable. Gary Angell, co-owner and head groomer at My Two Dogs, shares his tips to keep your dog looking fresh while you wait. Photo: Adam Banicki/The Wall Street Journal

Ferrari employees who are going back to work pass through a series of steps designed to keep the coronavirus out, including blood tests for antibodies. WSJ’s Eric Sylvers reports from the car maker’s factory near the center of Italy’s outbreak. Photo: Francesca Volpi for The Wall Street Journal

Tim Draper is putting his celebrity to work as a venture investor. The billionaire investor, who starred in the reality TV show Startup U and tried to make Silicon Valley its own state, has raised $190 million for a seed fund.

With a stunning tally of 21 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has stumped each of its political rivals in the country's most important political state -- the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Samajwadi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party. It will given the Congress leadership the strength to keep both the BSP and SP away from the United Progressive Alliance.

'Why would the Bahujan Samaj Party nominate a Gujjar to fight from South Delhi and the BJP respond by nominating another Gujjar from the same seat?'

Election Commissioner S Y Quarishi on Election 2009 and the challenges many the Election Commission faced.

Greek architect Tilemachos Andrianopoulos provides a tour of his design: a triangular home that blurs the line between inside and the olive grove outside. "Even for a completely new structure, there is always something that already exists there," he says. Photo: Rob Alcaraz/The Wall Street Journal

At the beginning of the year, college seniors were preparing to enter the strongest job market in decades. Now, as more than 25 million people have filed for unemployment, they face a newly competitive search. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court has referred the question of whether voters should have the option to declare their lack of confidence in all the candidates on a ballot to a Constitution bench. Kannan Kasturi reports.

It was once hoped that curbing election expenses would keep the process fairer. Today, the opposite is true, and neither the UPA nor the NDA wants to disturb this comfortable arrangement. Kannan Kasturi reports.

The aggressive stance of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in exiting the NDA is not really a big surprise, but whether that can lead to the formation of a viable government by an United Third Front at the Centre leaves room for scepticism, says B.S. Nagaraj.

Did you know that Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has been among the topmost performers in the Lok Sabha and has been honoured with the Sansad Ratna 2014 award? Arpana H S compiles a quick snapshot of MPs from Hyderabad and adjoining urban constituencies.

Anees Bazmi is now the unlikeliest part of Dr Singh's political life, thanks to his blockbuster.