-The Economic Times A recent Supreme Court interim order has reopened the debate on Aadhaar. We need to understand the implications of the order and reassess the "why" and "what" of Aadhaar. The order says that no service should be denied to a person who doesn't have Aadhaar. This is a fair observation. Aadhaar has always intended to be an instrument of inclusion, not exclusion. The Unique Identification Authority of India, which...

-Outlook The Election Commission today cautioned all printing presses of legal action on failing to publish their details on political banners and hoardings printed by them, as a part of the Model Code of Conduct for the ensuing assembly elections. Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Dev said all printing presses should comply with section 127A of the Representation of the People Act and publish their names and addresses on the banners and hoardings...

-Down to Earth   This defies logic. Despite rapid economic growth, India has often been placed below sub-Saharan African countries that have very high number of malnourished children. But the government has no data to clarify its position. In the first week of September, Parliament’s Committee on Estimates criticised the government, saying: “The committee is surprised to note that in the modern era of Information and Technology, there is no recent official...

-The Hindustan Times In recent years, there has been a constant stream of international attention given to the Indian middle class. Thanks to the expansion of this class, India's image has dramatically changed since the 1990s. Instead of the narrative about grinding poverty, India is now seen as the heart of new capitalism that is associated with high rates of growth as well as the consumerist elite and middle classes. The...

-The Times of India PATNA: Eighty-seven per cent of the rural population and 61% of urban residents in Bihar had calorie deficiency during 2009-10, as per reports of National Sample Survey Office. In fact, Bihar ranked 74th (alarming zone) in the global hunger index of 88 countries, according to a Survey of India State Hunger Index 2008. In the same survey, Jharkhand ranked 76th, Odisha 67th and UP 61st, all in...