-The Times of India The conspiracy of favouring candidates in the JBT exam by former chief minister Om PrakashChautala had begun in 1999 and he had even transferred two officers who did not comply with the directions given by chief minister's office. In its order, the court said Chautala was the "main conspirator" who was aware of every development in the scam. The court on Wednesday noted that Chautala could not carry out...

-Kafila.org The village of Majure, in Chitradurga district, Karnataka, is once again in the news. It made the national headlines in 1998 when dalits in the village lodged a police complaint against members of the dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat castes for an attack on their hamlet. As a consequence, several people were put behind bars. This time round, however, no formal complaint was lodged. Not that things have improved (rather, one could...

The total expenditure on central schemes for the poor and on the major subsidies exceeds the states' share of central taxes. These schemes are chronic bad performers due to a culture of immunity in public administration and weakened local governments. Arguing that the poor should be trusted to use these resources better than the state, a radical redirection with substantial direct transfers to individuals and complementary decentralisation to local governments...

-The Hindu Separate buses for schoolboys and schoolgirls, overcoats for girls, ban on mobile phones on campuses and restricted interaction of girls and boys — these are the steps the Puducherry government has decided on to enforce to prevent harassment of girl students. The measures came after a meeting between Education Minister T. Thiagarajan and principals in the wake of the rape of a 17-year-old student by two men on Tuesday. By reducing...

-The Hindu The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will introduce “Human Rights and Gender Studies” for Class XI and XII students from the coming academic year. The subject will be elective. Similarly, a handbook for teachers, “Women Safety and Empowerment through Curriculum,” will be introduced in the training courses by the National Council for teachers Education. The Ministry of Human Resource Development has been receiving representations for promoting value education in schools...