-The Financial Express For the first time in a decade, India has experienced deficient rainfall in both the main south-west as well as the north-east monsoon seasons. According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the country as a whole received an average rainfall of 85.2 mm during October 1 to December 31, 33 per cent below the "normal" long period average of 127.2 mm for this period. That translated into a...

-The Hindu The introduction of educational qualifications as eligibility criteria for contesting panchayat elections has shocked and angered rural Rajasthan, including supporters of the ruling BJP When the literacy drive was in full force, I happened to visit a village in Ajmer district with a friend who was a civil servant. There was bold graffiti on a prominent school wall, which said: Saksharta ki kya pehchan? Upar chaddi, niche baniyan (How do...

-The Hindu The absence of state accountability is at the core of issues facing tribal communities The Report of the High Level Committee on Socio-Economic, Health and Educational Status of Tribal Communities of India, under the chairmanship of sociologist Virginius Xaxa, was circulated last week. The 431-page report details the situation of tribal communities: Scheduled Tribes, de-notified tribes and particularly vulnerable tribal communities. Taking on board the findings and demands of social...

-The Hindu Business Line Bearish price trends in the global market, poor rainfall took toll on farmers in 2014 Farmers in the country were hit by a double whammy in 2014. Even as poor monsoon affected kharif output, lower commodity prices, largely influenced by a bearish trend in the global market, aggravated the agrarian crisis this year. In addition, the uncertainty over the vagaries of nature, largely through frequent unseasonal rains, compounded...

-The Indian Express Prime Minister Narendra Modi might have stressed on building toilets in schools for both boys and girls, but all the discussion seems to be centred around the lack of toilets for girls. Not much is discussed about lack of toilets for boys. It is true that girls are more prone to dropout from schools and face crimes because of this, but looking holistically, even boys should have the...