-The Telegraph A sizeable portion of collections under the Primary Education Cess was never transferred to Prarambhik Shiksha Kosh The money every taxpayer pays towards the Primary Education Cess, meant to improve the quality of government Schooling in the country, is not being used entirely for the purpose. A sizeable portion of the collections under the 2 per cent cess was never transferred to the Prarambhik Shiksha Kosh (PSK), the dedicated corpus...

-The Telegraph Many families depend on two entitlements for survival: social security pensions and rations from the public distribution system Particularly vulnerable tribal groups, earlier known as primitive tribal groups, are the sort of people you may never meet unless you take the trouble to look for them. In Jharkhand, they live in small hamlets scattered over the nooks and crannies of the state’s undulating forests. Without a purpose and some local...

-Scroll.in The ASHA unions in Bihar are demanding government employee status and a minimum wage. Accredited Social Health Activists or ASHA workers in Bihar went on an indefinite strike from December 1 with a 12-point charter of demands. Bihar has 93,687 ASHA workers – the second highest contingent of the one million ASHA workers in India. They are the key link between the healthcare system and rural populations and have to perform...

-India Today The Nitish Kumar government has ordered an inquiry into the incident after the report surfaced. * Students were made to sit in different classrooms based on their caste and religion * The Bihar govt has ordered action against the principal of the School * The District Education Officer has asked for stern action against the principal A government-run School in Bihar's Vaishali district has come under scrutiny after students there complained that they...

-Livemint.com Inflation for services and a few discretionary items has been higher in rural areas compared to urban centres When income is stagnant, a logical outcome could be curtailing expenditure. But rural India seems to be fine with paying higher prices for services that range from education to matinee shows. The chart above shows inflation for services and a few discretionary items has been higher in rural areas compared to urban centres. It...