-Down to Earth The next generation of the current poor Indians has high probability of remaining poor as well. Lack of access to resources like forests and social discrimination have set in the dreaded chronic poverty among India’s socially marginalised groups, ironically the target of poverty eradication programmes since last 70 years Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to eradicate poverty in India by 2022, or in the next five years, is...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed all the states and Union territories to set up special centres to record the statements of blind, deaf or mute witnesses so that people accused of crimes cannot get away citing improper examination of such witnesses. The bench of Justices A.K. Goel and U.U. Lalit passed the recent order while reversing the acquittal of a Maharashtra resident who had raped a 14-year-old deaf...

-The Hindu The public distribution system (PDS) and its disbursal of rations to the poor have come under the scanner in Jharkhand after three persons died recently, allegedly owing to lack of food. What happened? On September 28, Santoshi Kumari, an 11-year-old from Simdega district, died. Her mother, Koyli Devi, said the child died of hunger as the family was not getting rations under the State-run PDS for the past several months. The...

-PTI According to rural development ministry, there are no preconditions for getting employment under the scheme. New Delhi: The Centre is taking steps to ensure timely payment of wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), out of which 85 per cent of wages have already Been paid this fiscal, an official statement said. According to the statement released by the rural development ministry yesterday, there are no preconditions, including...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Mamata Banerjee government has petitioned the Supreme Court against the Centre's alleged push to make Aadhaar cards mandatory for extending the benefits of social welfare schemes. The petition is scheduled to be heard on Monday. The matter has Been listed before the bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan along with another petition, moved by social activist Raghav Tankha, that challenges the government's order to link...