-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Contrary to an assessment by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that communal incidents in India witnessed a rising trend in 2014, official data released by the home ministry showed that such attacks were down to 644 from 823 in 2013. Also, the US panel's claim in its 2015 report that religiously-motivated and communal violence in India had increased over three consecutive years...

-The Hindu With its references to Modi, the report is likely to cause more India-U.S. friction. India reacted coldly to the report of the U.S. commission on religious freedom that criticises the government, and said that it was based on a “limited understanding of India, its constitution and its society.” “We take no cognizance of this report,” a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. The Congressional body, the U.S. Commission for...

-Hindustan Times They are called cafeteria sessions. At lunch time, Greenpeace fund-raisers wander among hundreds, sometimes thousands, of young men and women packing the cafeterias of Indian companies. It’s not a good idea to name these companies. Greenpeace’s activities include forest preservation, renewable-energy promotion and fighting on behalf of local communities. These appear to be popular causes among young professionals. Donations of Rs 300 to Rs 500 constitute about 80% of...

-The Hindu The BSP is an exception, where the majority of the members in the Central Executive Committee (CEC) belong to the Scheduled Castes.   The top decision-making bodies of India’s national political parties are largely upper caste Hindu male domains, an analysis by The Hindu shows. While the Bahujan Samaj Party is the most diverse in caste terms, the Congress is the most diverse in religious terms. Last week when the Communist...

-Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) This publication highlights a range of pertinent issues primarily focusing on social sectors (such as education, health, drinking water and sanitation, food security etc.) and the responsiveness of the Union Budget towards the vulnerable sections of the population, (such as, women, children, dalits, adivasis, Religious Minorities, persons with disabilities and the Urban Poor). In addition, a number of important issues pertaining to taxation, renewable...