-The Telegraph When Thakur was arrested, police officer got 'calls from six VIPs' Muzaffarpur: Brajesh Thakur - the arrested proprietor of an NGO that ran the Bihar government-funded shelter home in Muzaffarpur where at least 34 minor girls were drugged, tortured and raped - rubbed shoulders with the who's who of Bihar, sources said. In 2005, when Nitish Kumar became chief minister, he had gone to Muzaffarpur to take part in the birthday...

-The Indian Express Many BJP-ruled states deny children a food choice that could address malnutrition Two of every five Indian children are stunted. Eggs are nutrition-dense superfoods packed with proteins and essential vitamins. Washington University researchers, for example, have demonstrated with a randomized control trial that feeding infants eggs daily decreased stunted growth by almost half and underweight by three-quarters. Berkeley researchers have also validated that healthy school meals even improve test...

-TheWire.in It will greatly bring down the poverty reduction impact of the programme, harm the construction of much-needed rural infrastructure and dramatically diminish the labourers’ bargaining power vis-à-vis the farmers. At the recent fourth governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog, the government announced the formation of a sub-group of chief ministers to propose ways of linking the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with agricultural activities. The group is headed...

-The New Indian Express In an apparent snub to the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the Bihar government has launched its own scheme to provide guaranteed assistance to the state’s farmers. PATNA: In an apparent snub to the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the Bihar government has launched its own scheme to provide guaranteed assistance to the state’s farmers in the event of crop damage. At a time of growing unrest among...

-The Hindu Business Line Patna is attracting the young from the hinterland to its skilling centres, teaching them English and computer skills At first glance they look like cyber cafés with their bustling young boys and girls. But take a closer look and you will find students busy at their computers picking up English language and software skills. These small centres have popped up across the State Capital in shopping areas and residential...