Free uniform and notebooks; compulsory for schools to reserve 25% seats for children from poor sections The State Budget gives a major boost to school education, with the government earmarking a record sum of Rs.14,553 crore for it — the highest ever allocation made to any department in Tamil Nadu. The school education department will also focus on increasing enrolments and Arresting drop-out rates, Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam told the Assembly...

-The Times of India While the government admitted Thursday in Parliament that foreign funding sources of NGOs active at Kudankulam were being probed, it refused to confirm if the money was being used to fuel protests against nuclear reactors being built there. Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, minister of state in PMO V Narayanasamy said NGOs getting money from the US and Scandinavian countries were actively involved in the protests....

-PTI Senior IAS officers Pradeep Vyas and Jairaj Phatak have been placed under suspension pending investigation in the Adarsh Housing Society scam, Maharashtra government informed the Bombay high court on Thursday. While Vyas was the collector of Mumbai, Phatak was city municipal commissioner when the scam took place. According to the CBI, Vyas (49), during his tenure as Collector from August 2002 to May 2005, allegedly connived with other accused and...

-PTI The issue of police lathicharge on tribals figured in the Chhattisgarh Assembly today with main Opposition Congress demanding a probe into the incident. Police yesterday cane-charged and lobbed teargas shells to disperse tribals who were on their way to `gherao' Chhattisgah Assembly here in support of their various demands, including 32 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutes. Nearly 1,000 adivasis were Arrested by the police. Agitated Congress members...

Almost a month ago, when the Jayalalithaa-appointed state expert panel gave a clean chit to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), Firstpost had stated that the agitation was practically over. It was only a matter of time before the protesters were either asked to vacate the plant site or were forcibly removed. Since then, the PMANE (People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy) and the local struggle committee were essentially waging a losing...