-The Indian Express Elections are short term contests, but the political project of democracy is a long game. Democracy is not just a set of institutions but also a set of values. The institutions are, minimally speaking, free and fair elections, an elected Parliament containing an executive and an Opposition to hold it accountable, an independent judiciary, a nonpartisan bureaucracy, a free media, and security of existence for all citizens. Democratic values...

-The Hindu With the kernel of the Information Act under threat, the independence of the information commission is in peril When we describe India as a democracy what do we really mean? Are we referring merely to a system of popular sovereignty founded in universal adult franchise? Or are we suggesting something more — perhaps an assurance, grounded in the Constitution, of a set of rights, of the rights, among others, to...

-The Indian Express IPCC report shows how land use affects climate change. It must not be used to target developing countries on global warming A report released on Thursday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that better management of the world’s farms and forests is necessary to tackle climate change. Land use has always been part of conversations on climate change and activities like afforestation have held...

-The Indian Express "The Guild urges the government to take immediate steps to restore normalcy for the media’s communication links. Media transparency has and always should be India’s strength, not fear," the statement said.   The Editors Guild of India on Saturday expressed concern about the lockdown in Kashmir and the “consequent curtailment of the media’s freedom and ability to report”, and asked the government to ensure safety of journalists there and...

-The Hindu About 5% useful; about 25% of letters on teacher recruitment norms The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has received more than 77,000 comments and letters on the draft National Education Policy (NEP), according to HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. The extended deadline for accepting feedback from the public ends on Wednesday, July 31. “About 5% of the feedback received so far is useful, and will be taken into account,” said a...