-The Indian Express Replying to a question on whether the SC had suggested that the government bring out a national policy to control farmers suicides, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the court order stated an issue like this could not be dealt with overnight. Union Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala on Tuesday said that suicides by farmers increased after a loan waiver of Rs 70,000 crore was announced...

-Livemint.com * The law ensures that no one is denied any service for not having Aadhaar as ID proof * An Aadhaar holder can now opt for offline verification through QR code with consent The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019, allowing voluntary linking of the 12-digit identification number as part of know your customer guidelines to open bank accounts or get a mobile connection. The law...

-The Hindu Lok Sabha clears Aadhaar amendment Bill amid stiff opposition. The Lok Sabha cleared the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 by a voice vote on Thursday. The Bill replaces an Ordinance promulgated on March 2 and provides for a stiff ?1 crore penalty and a jail term to private entities for storing Aadhaar data. It also makes the use of Aadhaar voluntary for opening a bank account, securing a mobile phone...

-The Telegraph The figure does not include the three deaths that took place this year, including that of Tabrez Ansari, 24 Ranchi: Seventeen of the 44 people lynched in the country between May 2015 and December 2018 were killed in Jharkhand, according to data collated by an NGO. The figure puts Jharkhand at the top of the heap of states where lynch mobs have struck, the small eastern state accounting for around 40...

-Down to Earth The midday meal scheme for schoolchildren is increasingly getting politicised, as the upper class elite wants to impose its own religious/food beliefs on malnourished children Most countries in the world now have some programme that provides midday meals to schoolchildren. School meals have been widely hailed for their multiple benefits — they increase enrolment and attendance, particularly of children from vulnerable groups; contribute to reduce “classroom hunger” and improve...