-Economic and Political Weekly The Indian weaver is dismissed in high places as an embarrassing anachronism, despite demand for his or her skills and products. In the new millennium, globalisation and a mindless acquiescence to imported notions of a good life threaten to take over, even as the West looks East for better concepts of sustainable living. Analysing today's crisis in the handloom sector, plagued by low-cost imitations from power looms,...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Supreme Court today expressed serious concern over some states' insistence on Aadhaar cards to extend social welfare schemes and other common services to citizens despite its two interim orders that the card should not be made mandatory until the court has decided its constitutional validity. A three-judge bench of Justices J. Chelameshwar, S.A. Bobde and C. Nagappan asked attorney-general Mukul Rohatgi to report to it by tomorrow...

  Despite the provision of free school uniforms to be given to school children aged 6-14 years under the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, when it comes to education department of Uttar Pradesh things are happening in the wrong way. Officials working in UP's education department demand for commissions from uniform suppliers, reveals a Cobra Post sting. In order to know more, please read the press release from Cobra...

-The Hindu Business Line Corruption in NREGA works has steadily declined in recent years. There are important lessons here that need to be extended to other domains One neglected aspect of the debate on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) relates to the process aspects of the programme. In the process of planning works, organising employment, paying wages or fighting corruption, many valuable activities take place: Gram Sabhas are held, workers...

-The Hindu   New Delhi: The Delhi Government's Food and Civil Supplies Department has decided to deactivate around 1.65 lakh ration cards which have been found to be bogus. Disbursement of ration (subsidised food grains) was stopped to around 1.7 lakh card holders across the city from April this year suspecting that these cards might be bogus. After giving two months time to the card holders to prove their authenticity, the department has...