-PTI “It must be ensured that no children are deprived/denied of their due benefits or rights for want of Aadhaar,” said the circular New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has asserted that schools cannot refuse admission to students for lack of Aadhaar, and termed denial on such grounds as “invalid”. It has also exhorted schools to coordinate with local banks, post Offices, State education department and district administration, to facilitate...

A recent report by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) enlightens one about the state of farmers' income and indebtedness in 2015-16. Entitled NABARD All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey 2016-17 – in short NAFIS 2016-17 – the report says that between 2012-13 and 2015-16 the average monthly income for agricultural households grew by around 39 percent. One may recall that the Key Indicators of Situation Assessment Survey...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday warned it would summon chief secretaries of states and officials concerned of the central government if they didn't comply with its December 15 directives to provide adequate facilities at public places for the differently abled. "We have not said anything new in our verdict (December 2017). It was your (the Centre's) law and we just asked you to comply with it. We are...

-The Hindu The RTI Act Amendment Bill must be junked The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, has empowered millions of Indians to question governments and hold public functionaries accountable. Of the nearly six million RTI applications filed every year in the country, a large proportion are by the poorest and the most marginalised who seek information about their basic rights and entitlements, like rations, pensions and health facilities. The use of...

-Economic and Political Weekly The right to information, much like the right to vote, is rooted in the same fundamental right, with the Offices of the chief information commissioner and the chief election commissioner, respectively, operating at the same level of autonomy, towards the enforcement of these rights. The proposed amendments to the Right to Information Act, which reportedly seek to downgrade the status of the chief information commissioner and information...