-Express News Service   The parliamentary panel studying the Lokpal bill has recommended “appropriate representation” for the weaker sections in the search committee.   The standing committee on law and justice has, however, maintained that the choice of the ombudsman “has to achieve the selection of the best and the brightest at the entry point”. The committee, which adopted its final report this evening, has suggested that the search panel must include “certain sections of...

-PTI   The government is considering giving reservation to backward Muslims within the 27 per cent quota fixed for Other Backward Classes and a decision in this regard will be taken soon, law minister Salman Khurshid said on Thursday.  "Of the 27% OBC quota in jobs, the government is examining to fix a quota for backward Muslims," Salman Khurshid told reporters outside Parliament.  Khurshid said the decision on fixing a quota for backward Muslims...

-The Hindu   Under the banner of the All-India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations, a number of Dalits and tribals took out a rally from Ramlila Maidan to Jantar Mantar here on Monday demanding that members of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minorities be given reservation in the Lokpal Committee. Addressing the rally, Confederation chairman Udit Raj said he was for a strong Lokpal Bill. Expressing confidence that the Lokpal...

If Uttar Pradesh was to be declared a separate country today, it would be the sixth-largest nation. With a total population at par with Brazil, population density comparable to that of the UK and per-capita income similar to Kenya's, it indicates the paradox of its citizen occupying the same space as his Latin and UK counterparts, yet living in conditions similar to those in Africa. Setting this hypothesis aside, let us...

-The Economic Times   The Congress-led government has tried to reach out to Other Backward Communities (OBCs) by drastically relaxing the definition of 'creamy layer' and including those with an annual income of Rs 12 lakh in metros eligible for job reservations. The eligibility level in non-metros will be an annual income of Rs 9 lakh.  The existing ceiling for this is an annual income of 4.5 lakh. The National Commission for Backward...