-The Hindu The Centre has decided to scrap the system of caste-based wage payments in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme after complaints from State Governments. In an order dated November 1, the Finance Ministry directed the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) to “revert to the previous system of generating single muster, single FTO [or Fund Transfer Order] and transferring money into a single NeFMS [or National Electronic...

-ThePRInt.in The Modi government has questioned the methodology of the Global Hunger Index. But undernutrition is one of the leading factors of child mortality in India. In India, malnutrition is not uncommon even in economically well-off sections of the population. It must be understood that malnutrition is not just hunger. It also includes: * Undernutrition –which includes wasting (low weight for height), stunting (low height for age), and being underweight (low weight for...

-The Hindu Caste data will help us understand the contours of inequality and craft reasoned and inclusive policies The debate about whether the decennial Census should collect data on caste from individuals who fall into the administrative categories of ‘General’ and ‘Other Backward Classes’ (OBCs) has been argued by public intellectuals, politicians, and government administrators for decades. As the Census currently only collects data on ‘Scheduled Castes’ (SCs) and ‘Scheduled Tribes’ (STs),...

-Press release by National Coalition on the Education Emergency dated 2nd November, 2021 * India’s 250 million children returning to school after 18 months of school closures and devastating learning loss * The NCEE warns that re-opening schools cannot be “return to school” as normal, and lack of a comprehensive approach will deepen the existing education inequality * Education recovery efforts require a multi-year, radically new approach, NCEE says NEW DELHI: The overwhelming majority...

-IndiaToday.in NCPCR has issued a notice to PRIncipal Secretary education Madhya Pradesh over a controversial chapter in a class 7 textbook. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has issued a notice to PRIncipal Secretary education Madhya Pradesh over a chapter in class 7 books, for promoting communal disharmony. As per the notice, the commission has pointed out how an example in the textbook could very well not just traumatise the...