At present, the government spending on education is about 3.4 percent of GDP ‘It is imperative that the government increase outlays in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan' A delegation of the People's Budget Initiative met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee here on Saturday to demand enhanced resources for the social sector which was crucial for the development of human resource and the nation. Formed in 2006, People's Budget Initiative is a coalition comprising representatives from people's...

The Kendriya Vidyalayas have decided to merge their quota for SCs and STs within the 25 per cent reservation to be offered to children of disadvantaged groups under the Right To Education Act. But the move has sparked controversy with education activists saying it would leave very few seats for the disadvantaged sections. They have argued that the 25 per cent quota should be offered separately. Lawyer and social activist Ashok Agrawal...

Maharashtra government would soon set up special courts in every division for speedy trial of atrocity cases keeping in view the huge pendency, which has jumped to over 5,000 and the low conviction rate. A decision in this regard was taken yesterday by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan in the backdrop of Union social justice and empowerment minister Mukul Wasnik's visit to the state last week, to review the implementation of the...

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said workers employed under the government's flagship rural jobs scheme, Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, would get higher wages to offset inflation. "We have decided to hike the wages as per the rise in consumer price index. This will raise the wages by 17 to 30 percent," Manmohan Singh said at a function to mark the fifth anniversary of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). The gathering...

Allotment of gram sabha land to private persons illegal Ponds, tanks which served communities for years encroached upon Taking a serious view of illegal and unauthorised encroachments on government poromboke land, the Supreme Court has directed all the State governments to prepare schemes for eviction of such occupants of gram sabha/panchayat/poromboke/shamlat land and restore them to the gram sabha/panchayat for the common use of villagers. A Bench of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan...