-The Telegraph Meghalaya chief minister today called for a legislation that would protect students from the Northeast from “insensitive behaviour”, almost a week after his niece, Dana Sangma, killed herself in a Delhi hostel after being allegedly ill-treated by an invigilator. Speaking to reporters at the Delhi Press Club today, Sangma asserted that Dana was targeted only because of her background. The 21-year-old, writing her second semester MBA examination at Amity Business School...

Rural secondary school students in the Northeast have better reading and arithmetic skills than the rest of the nation, an education survey has revealed, though the numerical knowledge in some states of the region is below the national average. The survey was conducted by volunteers of the Annual Status of Education Report under a Delhi-based NGO, Pratham, for the Union human resource development ministry. Among the Northeast states, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland,...

On Thursday, the Union Cabinet is likely to discuss a bill that will make sexual intercourse or 'contact with sexual intent' with a child - which is any one below 18 years - illegal. The 'sexual offences against children bill' proposes tough penal provisions ranging from three years' imprisonment to life termfor a person who commits sexual harassment, sexual assault, penetrative sexual assault or aggravated penetrative sexual assault. This is...

-The Telegraph The Rajya Sabha today passed amendments that exempt madarsas and Vedic pathshalas, which impart religious teachings, from the Right to Education Act and grant reservation in private schools to disabled children. Another amendment clarified that school management committees in aided minority schools would function only in an advisory capacity and would not be required to prepare the school development plan. The amendments will now go to the Lok Sabha. Some aided minority...

A Comptroller and Auditor-General of India report has expressed dismay over the rising share of funds disbursed by various ministries to local bodies and NGOs in 2010-11. The CAG report on the accounts of the Union government was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday. "An analysis of plan expenditure revealed that 77% of the total plan expenditure was in the form of grants-in-aid payment,'' the report stated. "In five of the ten...