-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Thirty-two of India's top universities and institutions of higher learning, including IITs, IIMs, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University, have together filled up barely 16% of the minimum quota for people with disabilities, a survey has revealed. Exposing the appalling failure of the government in implementing the 1995 Disability Act — which fixed a minimum 3% quota — the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for...

-The Times of India KOLKATA: The pleas of a mother of a 27-year-old with cerebral palsy, who failed to get Aadhaar-registered despite three attempts because of his physical disability, prompted the Calcutta high court on Thursday to ask the central government one simple question: why were people, including those with serious disability, being forced to knock on the judiciary's doors to get themselves on the Aadhaar platform? Sanat Maitra has 83 per...

-The Hindu Business Line It was a gratuitous and direct assault on the informal sector by the state The retrospective defence being provided by the Government for its act of suddenly demonetising 86 per cent of the country’s currency is as mindless as the act itself. The main argument for demonetisation that was advanced a year ago was that ‘black money’-holders would not dare to bring their demonetised currency to the banks;...

-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 Times of India NEW DELHI: Faced with criticism for forcing people to link their Aadhaar numbers with their mobile connection, thereby creating scope for privacy invasion, the government is considering the option of allowing other identity proofs to complete the verification process. These IDs could include ration card, driver's license and passport. "We are ready to explore other options. We are looking at whether a ration card, or a driver's license,...