-The Indian Express Having earlier changed the name of the course to accommodate doctors’ opposition, the Health Ministry has now asked the National Board of Examinations (NBE) to conduct the B.Sc (Community Health) programme, instead of the Medical Council of India (MCI) as was originally planned. The board, that organises post-graduate medical examinations, formally gave its approval Saturday. Under this programme, rural healthcare workers will receive training, a project the ministry has...

-Pratirodh Bureau With the mercury plummeting, thousands of homeless people continue to bear the harsh winter in the absence of sufficient night shelters in Jaipur city.   A survey released by the People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), which voluntarily monitors the condition of night shelters, claims that 40% of these shelters have improper bedding facility. Also, many poor are still spending night in the open due to sufficient shelters.   Here is the survey...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The EPFO (Employees' Provident Fund Organization), which manages lifetime savings of 6.15 crore individuals, has just made life tougher for workers. Employees will now have to prove that their employers deducted the statutory dues while giving them salaries, a move that will further benefit construction companies and contractors in particular who often claim that they have paid salaries to thousands of workers without actually transferring...

-The Indian Express A free press that is able to operate without fear or favour remains an essential cornerstone of a modern democratic society. It plays a fundamental role as the guardian of public interest. By the same token, when certain deficiencies in its role become apparent, public and political furore is inevitable. So it came to pass in Britain, where public anger emanating from a single action — the hacking...

-Press Information Bureau The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 has brought in several reform processes. States/UTs have inter-alia brought out notifications prohibiting corporal punishment, detention and Board Examinations in elementary education. The National Council for Teachers’ Education (NCTE) has laid down teacher qualifications and 22 States/UTs have conducted Teacher Eligibility Tests to improve the quality of teaching. In order to ensure free and compulsory education for...