-PTI The security of the country will not be compromised by issue of Aadhaar cards for the people, as this does not confer right of citizenship to anyone including illegal migrants, Rajya Sabha was informed today. "Aadhaar does not confer citizenship nor does it by itself confer right of citizenship for illegal migrants, which will be determined by the relevant statutory and implementing authorities. "Hence, compromise of national security due to enrolments under...

-The Telegraph Meghalaya’s agitating social organisations today exhorted the state’s political leaders to ask the Election Commission to “exempt clauses” as far as enrolment of voters is concerned in view of the presence of a minority indigenous population. “It is a matter of political will. If our politicians are really concerned about the state, they should approach the Election Commission and seek exemption from the guidelines as far as registration of...

Rudyard Kipling opens his superb novel with the street urchin Kim teasing the son of a wealthy man. Kim kicks Chota Lal, whose father, Lala Dinanath, is worth half-a-million sterling, off the trunnion of the mighty cannon Zam-Zammah. Kipling loved India and wrote that it was the only democratic place in the world. It warms us to read this, but of course this was quite untrue in Kipling’s time and...

The Supreme Court in its verdict on the constitutionality of the Right to Education Act in relation to the reservation of seats for Economically Weaker Section [EWS] and socially disadvantaged [SD] children has rightly upheld the principle of integration. It is hard to see how it could have been any other way. In fact, the arguments against segregation and in favour of diversity in schools have long been settled in...

The judgment last week by the Supreme Court, making it mandatory for the government, local authorities and private schools to reserve 25% of their seats for the economically weaker sections, is one more step in making the right to education a reality for Indian children. The road, however, is long and the journey arduous, as there are still millions who face barriers in accessing education. The Right of Children to Free...