-The Hindu For a scheme that the Central government has declared an essential arm of its educational and nutritional objectives in the last three days, both the Central and the State governments have shown a remarkable lack of concern for the 27 lakh workers, most of them women, who administer it. The tragedy that killed 23 children in Bihar's Chapra village last Tuesday has shone a rare spotlight on India's mid-day meal...

-The Business Standard But many numbers point to contrary trends The latest numbers on poverty levels are dramatic; they show that the number of people below the poverty line (as defined by the late economist Suresh Tendulkar) has shrunk from 37 per cent of the population to 22 per cent, in the seven years to 2011-12. This is an unprecedented rate of fall in poverty levels; some 40 per cent of those...

-Reuters Raipur/Patna: The deaths of at least 23 children who were poisoned after eating a free school meal has triggered an outcry over Food safety just as the ruling Congress party is set to launch an ambitious plan to feed 800 million poor, with an eye on elections due within a year. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi‘s national subsidised Food project includes free school meals and expands existing handouts to make it probably...

-Outlook Chandigarh: Congress today blamed BJP for "creating hindrances" in implementation the Food Security Ordinance and said giving right to Food is not its "political initiative." "We could have implemented the Food Security Bill two years ago had the opposition parties, especially BJP, behaved responsibly in the Parliament. Moreover, they (BJP) continued changing statements on the bill and also gave wrong suggestions on the bill," AICC representative Prem Chandra Mishra said here...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Rattled by the midday meal tragedy in Bihar in which 23 children have died, the Delhi government and the municipal corporations swung into action on Thursday. Officials of the Directorate of Education (DoE) led by Marcel Ekka, deputy director of the midday meal programme, visited many schools to take stock. Officials said, unlike other states, the situation in the national capital is better as none...