-The Times of India The President's approval to make Hindi compulsory in CBSE and Kendriya Vidyalya has ruffled feathers with most non-Hindi speaking states accusing the Centre of suppressing other native languages. Deputy leader of Trinamool Congress Saugata Roy alleged the move is meant to implement the BJP's majoritarian idea based on their slogan, 'Hindi, Hindu, and Hindustan'. "The Centre should have been more cautious before implementing the decision in non-Hindi speaking...
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SY Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner, interviewed by Vrinda Gopinath (Scroll.in)
-Scroll.in In this environment of majoritarianism, we must seriously consider proportional representation, adds SY Quraishi. SY Quraishi, who was Chief Election Commissioner from July 2011 to June 2012, is known to be outspoken about several issues regarding electoral reform both when he was in the Election Commission and after he retired. He has asked for public funding of political parties, putting an expenditure cap on them, financial transparency among parties, and...
More »Food matters in West Bengal -Jean Dreze & Souparna Maji
-The Indian Express PDS has improved in the state, but it’s still not up to the mark. Recent media reports suggest that the public distribution system (PDS) in West Bengal is now “doing enormously well” — as one headline put it. Some also claim that this has contributed to the victory of the Trinamool Congress in the latest assembly elections. Since we were involved in the survey cited in these reports, we...
More »Singur Tata plant: Supreme Court quashes acquisition, orders Bengal govt to return land in 12 weeks
-The Indian Express Farmers who got compensation from the govt will not return it because they were deprived of their livelihood for the last ten years, the court said. New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday quashed the land acquisition in West Bengal’s Singur by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharya-led CPM government in 2006 for allotting it to Tata to set up its Nano car factory. The court held that the acquisition could not be...
More »Govt raises budget for rural jobs scheme by Rs. 5,000 crore -Elizabeth Roche
-Livemint.com Fresh fund infusion means the overall budget allocation for MGNREGS in 2016-17 will be Rs43,500 crore New Delhi: The Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government has increased the budget for the national rural employment guarantee scheme by Rs.5,000 crore to Rs.43,500 crore for 2016-17, minister of state for rural development Ram Kripal Yadav told Parliament on Monday. The scheme “will not be shut down but strengthened. It is a special direction...
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