-BBC   A low-caste Dalit boy has been killed in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh for sharing a name with a man of a higher caste, police say. They said Neeraj Kumar's father Ram Sumer had been asked to change the names of two sons as they were the same as those of Jawahar Chaudhary's sons. The body of Neeraj, 14, was found on 23 November in a field. Two friends of...

-EPW   Will the blatant Discrimination against Muslims in the administration of justice ever end? The word secular was inserted into the Preamble of the Indian Constitution by the 42nd amendment in 1976; later on, the Supreme Court, in S R Bommai vs Union of India, held (in 1994) that secularism was an integral part of the basic structure of the Constitution. And yet, it has been a long time coming – Indian...

Usha Thiruvengadam, a trained Carnatic vocalist and violin player, has been searching for a job in government-run schools as a music teacher for the past five years. Her struggle for a job despite her disability has earned her a great deal of respect from many of her friends. They also note: “Her husband did not marry her for the assistance. He takes her everywhere.” For many other visually challenged women, trusting...

The winds of democracy are making it harder for India to negotiate the construction of mega hydel projects in Bhutan. Fixing terms and conditions for bringing power from Bhutan was a cakewalk with the first three hydel projects five years ago. With newspapers other than the Kuensel , a tiny but vocal Opposition in Bhutanese Parliament and exiled leaders raising issues relating to sovereignty, Indian officials are now having to work...

The government's decision to set aside a 20 per cent quota for SC/ST vendors in its purchases, if accepted by every sector on a wider scale, has the potential to makegrowth pro-poor and inclusive. The Central government has finally announced a policy reserving 20 per cent of its purchases for micro and small enterprises run by entrepreneurs belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. The new procurement policy will...