-The Hindu Considering the knowledge of English as a mark of social advancement and that of the vernacular as backwardness disenfranchises significant sections of society In a village in Ghazipur district that borders Varanasi, there is a young man who teaches English and "personality development" to the sons and daughters of local shopkeepers, farmers and truck drivers. The classes are held from 6 to 8 in the morning and again in the...

-Live Mint MoEF notification on 5 February says linear projects such as roads, canals wouldn't require gram sabha consent A move by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to exempt promoters of so-called linear projects such as roads, pipelines and canals from seeking the consent of village councils in forest areas will likely be a non-starter unless the government moves to amend the forest rights Act (FRA). MoEF issued a notification on...

-The Hindustan Times Maharashtra has done a poor job of implementing the Right to Education (RTE) Act, said educationists, as the legislation completes three years on Monday. Activists said the state has not enforced more than 40% of the Act's provisions. To meet the March 31, 2013, Supreme Court deadline for the implementation of the Act, the education department hurriedly issued two government resolutions in February and March - the...

-The Telegraph Ministries are in the dark over control of the Rs 1,000-crore "Nirbhaya Fund", announced in last month's budget and named in the Delhi gang rape victim's memory, despite government declarations of urgency in dealing with women's safety issues. While some ministers believe the home ministry will be the nodal agency to handle the funds, others reckon that the finance ministry will take the reins and disburse the cash to ministries...

-The Hindu   The government needs to open its eyes and realise that the technological utopia it envisions in the low-cost tablet is no cure for poor education, poverty or inequality The last few days have brought the Aakash tablet back into the media limelight. Last Friday, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister M.M. Pallam Raju said that troubles with the manufacturer could doom the project. But the next day, former HRD Minister Kapil...