The Right to Education Act, which lacks a transformational vision, is geared to preparing foot soldiers for the global market. THE most encouraging and delightful news regarding school education in India since the pro-market reforms began in 1991 came from Erode district in Tamil Nadu recently. To be sure, it is neither about the World Bank-sponsored District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) of the 1990s nor about the internationally funded and...

-The Hindu   The West Bengal government on Monday tabled the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Rules Act, 2011, which gives the government the option of giving unwilling land owners at the disputed plot at Singur a quantum of land equivalent to what they had lost. The Rules, which were laid in the Legislative Assembly by State Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee, defines an unwilling owner as someone who owns a plot of...

One of the most shameful pieces of legislation in our penal code is the continuance of ‘Sedition’ in Section 124A of the Penal Code which provides that whoever excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India shall be punished with imprison-ment for life. The expression disaffection includes disloyalty and all feelings of enmity. This provision was included by the British Government in 1870 as...

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil has stressed for increasing agricultural production in the country by using modern technology. “We must not forget that the food security in the country is dependent on the development of agriculture sector,” she said while addressing members of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly here on Friday afternoon before inaugurating the newly constructed central hall in the premises. The President said new agriculture system and modern technology should be used with...

I must begin with two disclaimers. The Singur land development and rehabilitation bill, 2011 was moved in the West Bengal legislative assembly last Tuesday by the industries minister with whom I happen to share a name. However, I believe he does not share any of the opinions or sentiments expressed below. Second, I was a persistent critic of the Left Front government when it was in power and what I...