-IPS News RAYAGADA- The deafening din of the lunch gong is sweet music to the 200-odd tribal girls rushing down the stairway, clutching stainless steel plates and tumblers. Sikhsya Niketan (House of Education) in Chattikona administrative block of Rayagada district is a residential school meant exclusively for girls of the Dongria Kondh tribe in eastern Odisha state. The school is part of the federal government’s intensified efforts to take universal education to...

-The Times of India MUMBAI: Contrary to MNS chief Raj Thackeray's ongoing tirade, migrants to cities like Mumbai are not 'outsiders' from other states. Nearly 70% of them come from rural or urban areas within Maharashtra itself, reveals an analysis of data from the National Sample Survey Organization's (NSSO) 64th round. For every migrant coming to a city in Maharashtra from the urban areas of other states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh...

-The Times of India The government has allowed foreign investment in a host of sectors including multi-brand retail and civil aviation. The UPA government can expect a roaring reception from the financial markets following the decision. It can also prove to be a mood-enhancer for the Congress-led government as it heads into state polls in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. Here is how heads of various states responded to the government's decision: Will rollout Haryana...

-Reuters India opened its supermarket sector to foreign chains on Friday after months of dithering, pushing ahead with the boldest reforms yet in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government as it tries to revive the country's tottering economic growth. The government has decided to allow foreign airlines to buy stakes of up to 49 per cent in local carriers, heavy industries minister Praful Patel said on Friday, in a much-awaited policy move that...

-The Hindu The draft law on acquisition strikes a balance between development and justice for those who will be displaced in the process India is a rapidly industrialising economy and society with intense demands for better infrastructure from its people. The last 20 years have seen a great acceleration in this process, with India becoming one of the world’s fastest growing economies. However, for those whose lands were acquired for these purposes...