-Economic and Political Weekly   A report on the 2013 deliberation of the Kolkata Group at its 10th workshop which focused on healthcare, the status of women and social justice in India. A K Shiva Kumar (akshivakumar@gmail.com) is convener of the Kolkata Group workshops which are organised by Pratichi (India) Trust, the Harvard Global Equity Initiative and UNICEF India. At the 10th annual Kolkata Group workshop in February this year, 40 policymakers, development practitioners,...

-Tehelka.com There are few figures from the adivasi community in India who have made a bigger dent in the collective imagination of the country than Dayamani Barla. The "iron lady of Jharkhand" has been instrumental in articulating adivasi struggles against displacement and deprivation on national and international platforms. Dayamani, who was recently imprisoned in Jharkhand for her involvement in the Nagri people's movement, has won the first Ellen L Lutz Indigenous...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Wednesday sought a reply from Delhi government on a petition accusing it of failing to provide free books and uniforms to students belonging to economically weaker sections in unaided private schools which is in violation of Right to education. Issuing notice to the Delhi government and its education department, a division bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice Jayant Nath...

-Firstpost.com After the UPA-II released its self-congratulatory 79-page ‘Report card to the People', National Advisory Council (NAC) member and leading social activist Aruna Roy has come down heavily on the government for its poor performance in the social sector. Roy, an instrumental force behind the Right to Information Act, criticised the government for stalling on essential legislations such as the Food Security Bill, the Land Acquisition Bill and the Lokpal Bill. Roy spoke...

-PTI Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday called the Right to education (RTE) Act as Union Minister Kapil Sibal's "absolutely foolish policy". "RTE Act is Kapil Sibal's absolutely foolish policy. There are certain parameters in the policy which are wrong," Mr Parrikar told reporters while objecting to the RTE Act's no-detention clause. "The idea of no-detention is good, but there should be good parameters to implement it. After RTE, studying has...