-Deccan Herald The government’s decision to make Aadhaar mandatory for children to avail midday meals in schools and nutrition under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme as well as for disabled students to get scholarships is wrong and ill-conceived. The decision was notified this week and it has given the students only a few weeks to comply with it. Aadhaar has been made mandatory for 11 services under a number...

-The Hindu British doctor started with a roadside clinic, was deported from Bangladesh and jailed in Bengal There was nothing on his wrinkled face or in his demeanour, to give an inkling of the remarkable life that he has led over the past four decades. Age has withered him, but has not broken the indomitable spirit of this octogenarian. Dressed carelessly, he stood with just a little stoop, talking affably, shaking hands with...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Union home ministry today barred a non-government organisation run by a Narendra Modi-critic from receiving foreign funds, revoking its FCRA licence and that of three others for alleged "undesirable activities against public interest". The action, which drew accusations that the government was trying to stifle voices of dissent, means Anhad, run by Shabnam Hashmi, the Marwar Muslim Educational and Welfare Society, and the Gujarat-based Navsarjan Trust and...

-The Indian Express India’s largest public sector bank, the State Bank of India, has also seen a jump in PoS transactions from 3.5 lakh to 11 lakh a day with more people using debit cards. Mumbai: One month into demonetisation, there has been a significant increase in digital payments. According to AP Hota, managing director and chief executive of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), transactions through RuPay point of sale (PoS) machines have...

-Deccan Herald India is not doing enough to protect its youngest citizens. According to ‘Vital Statistics of India based on Civil Registration System 2014’ report, around 1.89 lakh infants died in 2014 and around 80,190 of them were girls. Though there was a reduction in the number of infant deaths - 1.87 lakh infants died the previous year, including 80,609 girls – the drop was very marginal. Several of India’s...