-Hindustan Times New Delhi: Almost a quarter of India’s 370,000 beggars are Muslims, newly released data from the 2011 Census show, reinforcing that the community still lags behind on most counts despite the country’s rapid economic growth. Muslims, the largest minority who make up 14.2% of India’s 1.25-billion population, come out pretty much at the bottom of most socio-economic indices, even a decade after a high-level government probe into their historical disadvantages...

-The Hindu Bezwada Wilson has won Magsaysay Award for his struggle against manual scavenging. Chennai: Fifty-year-old Bezwada Wilson, national convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), was declared one of the six recipients of the 2016 Ramon Magsaysay Award by the Philippines-based award foundation, in Manila on Wednesday. Recognised for his efforts to eradicate manual scavenging, Mr. Wilson told The Hindu that India still had over two lakh manual scavengers who needed...

-Livemint.com Tiliya, one of many villages in Bundelkhand region, has been emptied of its young people as they have migrated to the cities to find work, usually menial Jobs Jhansi/ New Delhi: Adjacent to the Pahuj river, surrounded by small rocky hills in Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh lies Tiliya, a village of 42 households. Most villagers are farmers but, strangely, almost all the farmers are elderly. They put it down to ‘Palaayaan’...

-The Hindu The government must target labour market rigidities to maximise gainful employment in the textile sector. India’s textile and apparel industry is all set for an overhaul as the new National Textile Policy will soon be placed before the Cabinet for approval. The government has already accepted a Rs.60 billion special package for this sector with an aim to create 10 million new Jobs in the next three years, attract investments...

-The Times of India New Delhi: Transgenders will soon be categorised as "third gender" and be eligible for welfare benefits including reservations in Jobs and education. They would also be able to choose their gender after undergoing sex-change surgery. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill puts the "third gender" at par with weaker communities like SC/STs and OBCs to end discrimination against them. The Union cabinet approved the legislation piloted by social...