Recent events in Parliament concerning a National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbook use of a Shankar cartoon of Babasaheb Ambedkar have correctly drawn outrage and public debate. General outrage has also been correctly expressed at the attack on Suhas Palshikar's office in Pune - apparently for his role as chief advisor of the offending textbook. In his statement, human resource development minister Kapil Sibal has chosen to limit...

-The Times of India India's space agency Isro bent rules for private firm Devas to sign a deal for multimedia services, projecting a paltry Rs 1,120 crore revenue over a 12-year period that would not even have covered the cost of launching two satellites for the promised service, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said.  In a report submitted to Parliament on Tuesday, the official auditor gave the Prime Minister's Office...

Religious and social groups have trampled on the freedom of expression of artists and scholars to serve their own agendas. “FOR all the big talk about India's great tradition of cultural and religious tolerance, many forces in the social life of our country and a number of established organisations, including the so-called non-political ones, have time and again resorted to blatant suppression of freedom of expression, pointing forcefully to the...

Inflation in India rose above expectations in April, making life difficult for the nation's central bank as it tries to revive an economy facing increased stagflation risks. The Reserve Bank of India last month cut its policy rate for the first time in three years to boost sagging growth. But inflation has remained stubbornly high, raising concerns the economy may be facing a nightmare scenario of slowing growth and rising prices. On...

-The Times of India Government on Monday appeared to be considering putting an end to the innovative use of cartoons to make school textbooks more appealing to students. Although a committee set up by the government to look into the use of cartoons is to submit its report on June 15, UPA appeared set to end the experiment altogether. "We believe textbooks are not the place where these issues (cartoons) should be...