-Outlook The real story of a ‘decisive' UPA blowing away the eight-year cloud around Posco's project Bend It Like Moily Seven reasons why UPA's pre-poll green clearance for Posco is more about spiel than steel Posco got green clearance after the sudden removal of MoEF Jayanthi Natarajan, who was reluctant to sign on the file. The nod came days before South Korean President Park Geun-hye's visit;...

-Outlook Apparently taking a cue from AAP's policies, the government has asked the civil servants to be empathetic and adopt "people first" approach with special care for the marginalised and disadvantaged section. "Passion for serving people with special care for the marginalised and disadvantaged. Being approachable, welcoming, caring and rising above bias while interacting with people. Understand the need of the people and constantly strive to improve the services," said a competency...

A new report on India's housing sector confirms with facts and figures what has been suspected all along: that despite growing demand for affordable housing, supply side responses have been weak and sluggish. This means even though the housing sector can directly impact employment and income generation, and has multiple forward and backward linkages with various industries, it needs innovative ideas, pro-poor thinking and policy stimulus. (See link below for...

-The Hindu State governments are going "against the letter and spirit" of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act) on several issues in the State rules they have formulated, reveals a recent review report of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). They have in effect diluted the Act that is supposed to provide all children between ages 6 and 14 the fundamental right...

-Outlook Jaipur: As many as 52 child labourers within the age group of 7 to 12 years were rescued from the clutches of minority contractors who involved them in making bangles and handicraft items at a house here, police said today. The police arrested five persons, identified as Mohammad Fareed, Mubarik, Shakeel, Mohd Juned and Hasseed, all hailing from Bihar, and booked them under various sections of Child Protection Act and the...