-The Economic Times After Mahatma Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh is the only national leader to be genuinely concerned that 65 years after Independence, some 600 million Indians in the 21st century continue to use open skies as their latrines. While Lee Kuan Yew continues to exhort Singaporeans to have cleaner loos, our ministry of railways thinks depositing human excreta all along the country's length and breadth, including deep into the cities -...

-The Hindustan Times It’s official. Sex between individuals below the age of 18, even if consensual, is a crime. However, the new rules — notified on Wednesday to enforce the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act — failed to address how law enforcing agents can identify the accused and the victim when both the persons involved are minors. This concern was raised by several state governments. “It is a highly complicated...

-Outlook Child victims of sexual offences will now get swift and adequate compensation as well as immediate medical care and rehabilitaion with the Government today notifying new rules. As per the new rules under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, state governments shall pay compensation ordered by Special Court within 30 days of receipt court orders, officials said. Special Courts would award compensation to child after taking into account a host...

-The Telegraph Private universities have mushroomed across India, growing from just 10 six years ago to 145 today in a demand-driven surge that has drawn allegations of irregularities, including franchising out courses in violation of rules. Several academics have also questioned the standard of education in most of these varsities, set up by state legislatures through enactment of laws. “Private universities are created by state legislatures so the Government of India has no...

-The Times of India Gujarat, which faced one of the worst anti-Muslim riots in the country barely 10 years ago, has emerged as the state with the largest number of Muslim cops posted in police stations, beating states with a higher proportion of the community in their population. The data, shared by the home ministry in response to an RTI query filed by TOI, shows that 10.6% of Gujarat's cops posted in...