BUSINESS & ECONOMY Gail
monopoly over gas
pipe laying to go The government will end GAIL
India Ltd's monopoly over laying natural gas pipelines by allowing private
sector firms in gas transportation business,
UPDATE Congressional
leaders oppose
sale of F-16 planes to Pakistan Two prominent Congressional leaders have warned Bush against
selling F-16s to Pakistan saying it can seriously undermine US-India relations.
They are running a campaign to drive home that a sale can squander opportunities
to strengthen strategic US-India ties
EDITORIAL Now
for meritocracy
in the private sector
Politicians have not
succeeded in stifling India's spirit of enterprise, but they just might succeed
if they insist on caste-based reservation in the private sector, says ARAVIND
SITARAMAN
HERITAGE Perfect,
stately and tall
If a temple were ever built to make a
statement, this is it. USHA KRIS describes the grandeur of the Rajarajeswaram
temple in Tamil Nadu
FEATURE PICKS
India
Together So
near to God, so far from Heaven
Church income has fallen sharply as the laity have gone into
debt in Wayanad. But the larger reality is also more complex. While the church
does reflect the pain of its farmer base, it is also, in some cases, a source of
at least a few of the dues that worry them, notes P SAINATH
* * * Indian Express The
talent principle
Shouldn’t the government ensure that the
IB and the LIC get the best men available as their heads? And once in,
shouldn’t they get something more than a year? asks TVR SHENOY
* * *
Asia Times Children's
power drives
Indian channels
Kids are king in India. They constitute one-third of the country's population
and enjoy an extraordinary influence on their parents' purchase decisions. Hence
the mad rush to launch kids' channels, because ad-spending will head where young
eyeballs go. By INDRAJIT BASU
* * *
Tribune Girls for sale
in Himachal Driven by extreme poverty and social backwardness, villagers
across the Transgiri area of Sirmaur district in Himachal are forced to sell
girls, often to physically challenged and aged men from Punjab and Haryana. With
a tacit social acceptance for the deals, the region has emerged as a market for
girls. By AMBIKA SHARMA
* * *
Pioneer Organ harvesting: Who has the
right to decide?
The unusual request of a terminally ill person for permission to donate his organs has triggered an entirely new debate and taken the issue of human organ transplant into
un-chartered territory. It has raised the demand for extending organ donation beyond brain deaths to non-heart beat
deaths
* * *
Indian Express Singer of the ages Mamurai Shanmuka Vadivu Subbulakshmi was no ordinary person; she was a phenomenon of the 20th century. Her voice thrilled the greater of this globe, regardless of the language in
which she sang
Subbulakshmi
bestseller for Saregama:
Her first full-length album for the Gramophone Company of India (GCI), recorded
over 40 years ago, still manages to sell over 2 lakh copies every year.
SP
HAS NO REGARD FOR LAW OR TRUTH: HIGH COURT
The policeman running the case against the
Kanchi Shankaracharya was once denounced by the High Court as a barbarian. His
track record is full of dark deeds that would put hardcore criminals to shame
Other editorials War
on the PEoPLE Andhra Pradesh's talks with Naxalite groups is fraught with danger not just for the state but for all of India, writes ARAVIND SITARAMAN
No eulogy for Veerappan No tears will be shed
for the dead bandit, but we must address the causes that created such a monster, says
ARAVIND SITARAMAN More edits
