-The Business Standard   States yet to invite tenders after partial decontrol of sugar was implemented Partial decontrol of sugar might augur well in the long run but not before giving teething troubles. Sugar supplies in ration shops of around 15 states might end from June 1, as these states have not started inviting tenders for supply, as is required under a new mechanism. Officials said only Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Madhya Pradesh,...

-The Telegraph A panel of experts has watered down a proposal by the UPA government to set up five minority universities, citing legal hurdles. The committee, headed by Indian Council of Social Science Research chairman Sukhadeo Thorat, has suggested that the institutions be set up as central universities with their focus on minorities, instead of minority institutions as proposed. The committee submitted its report to the minority affairs ministry last month, a senior...

-Live Mint Cherry-picked indicators of progress cannot convey the complexities of development in India's diverse states Which Indian states have fared better than their peers and which ones have done relatively worse is a perennial question for discussion. There is more at stake than mere grading of states here. Investment flows, central government funds and praises for being a good state are all linked to this seemingly straightforward question. It seems to...

-The Hindu Kozhikode: Given a choice between pursuing his dream of becoming an officer in the Indian Police Service and the Chola Naikkar's traditional hunter-gatherer way of life, 18-year-old Vinod C. says he would have chosen to follow the footsteps of his forefathers. But he cannot. Over the years, the hunters have become the hunted. "Trees are cut, wild animals attack our tribes and there is scarcity of food. We feel cornered. So...

-The Hindu Students in government schools in Assam study only for two-and-a-half hours every day at the primary level compared to five-and-a-half to six-and-a-half hours in the rest of the country, an official study has shown. Similarly, the total number of working days in primary schools each year is 180 in Nagaland and Manipur and a maximum of 253 in Bihar and Jharkhand with lower than average literacy rates. But in most...