Newspaper Must Read Articles of The Day– 30 April 2015

The Hindu

National

• 100 cities to turn smart – The smart cities mission is aimed at “recasting the urban landscape of the country by making cities more liveable and inclusive, besides driving economic growth”, says ministry.

• Changes in Act will make graft ‘heinous crime’ – The Govt has approved amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, that provide for classifying corruption as a heinous crime and longer prison terms for both bribe-giver and bribe-taker.

• Cabinet delinks Assam from new border pact – The Union Cabinet has de-linked Assam from the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.

• Pak. must open Wagah for trade: Ghani – Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani says Pakistan should allow Afghan trucks to cross over to Indian checkpoint at Attari.

International

• Amid outrage, Jakarta defends executions – Indonesia faced a storm of international protest for executing foreign drug convicts. “But we must do it in order to save the nation from the danger of drugs”, says attorney.

• China hits back over South China Sea – Beijing says its construction in Spratly Islands is within the scope of its sovereignty.

Business

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SCI-TECH & AGRI

• Making buildings earthquake-safe – Earthquakes do not kill, unsafe buildings do; Amlan K. Sengupta and Devdas Menon suggests some technical measures to protect buildings from quakes.

• How do non-green coloured leaves in a plant photosynthesise? – There are plants with non-green leaves in which anthocyanins can mask the green colour of the chlorophyll and make the plant appear purple. But the photosynthesis is still happening underneath.

• Chennai-made pheromone traps for fruit fly come to Maldives’ rescue –  Methyl Eugenol, an insect pheromone, is used to lure fruit flies that attack mango and other tree fruits. The males of fruit fly species are trapped and killed thus denying the females the chance to mate.

Opinion-Editorial

• Japan and quake preparedness – A robust disaster management programme which includes various aspects of mitigating after-effects, sensitisation of the public, warning systems, quake-resistant buildings are part of Japan’s earthquake preparedness.

• MGNREGS as insurance – It would be an act of poverty if the government does not utilise the MGNREGS to bring relief during a time of significant agrarian distress in a number of States, says the editorial.

• In defence, time for tough decisions – Opting to drastically downsize 17 Corps and buy Rafale fighters were bold, but not necessarily good moves. Now, it’s time to create a unified services chief, argues Shashank Joshi.

• Forced into marriage by social pressures – A gay man and a straight woman in a marriage are both victims of a society that reinforces heterosexual marriage as the norm, says Gowthaman Ranganathan.

Indian Express

Editorials & Columns

• Being Smart – The Smart Cities Mission and Amrut may constitute a step towards filling a policy gap, says the editorial.

• Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill cleared – The bill will create an “appropriate institutional mechanism” to utilise collected funds for afforestation and other purposes that would reduce the effects of diversion of forest land.

• Promises To Keep – Sri Lanka has adopted the 19th Constitutional Amendment that reduces the powers of the executive presidency. Sirisena should now focus on the question of Sri Lanka’s minorities, particularly the Tamils, says the editorial.

LiveMint

• The dry taps of urban India – Mispricing of water has meant that large parts of Indian cities do not have access to regular water supply, says the article.