-The Times of India HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh government has embarked on an ambitious programme of sending 100 tribal students every year to reputed universities around the globe for higher studies. The government will bear the entire expenditure which includes fees and living expenses up to Rs 10 lakh and facilitate a loan for the student from banks if more funds are needed. The programme is available for tribal students who secure admission...

-The Hindu     Lawmakers are eager to appear resolute in the fight against crime, but seem to forget that certainty of punishment, not severity, is the real deterrent "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind," said Mahatma Gandhi. The death penalty is unjust and inhuman. Its continued use is a stain on a society built on humanitarian values, and it should be abolished immediately. Many think that there could be nothing wrong...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Centre is mulling setting up five universities with 50% seats reserved for religious minorities, a "Muslim outreach" by Congress ahead of the 2014 elections. The universities will come up in the hubs of Muslim and Christian population in five states. "These universities will have 50% reservation for minorities with socio-economic backwardness as key determinant. Minorities are not just religious groups but also social groups as...

-Live Mint The varying demographic trends in modern India could create disagreements in the political system There were 180 million more Indians in 2011 than a decade ago. Around half this increase in population came from the villages and half from the cities. The urban population actually grew slightly more than the rural population, perhaps for the first time in Indian history. The big picture is generally known. It is in the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In a significant sanitization exercise, the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has made changes in its history textbooks dropping "objectionable" references to the Nadar community, depiction of angels in human form and introducing more sensitive coinages to caste to smoothen ruffled feathers of political leaders. The changes have been made in history books of class VIII, IX, XI and XII that will...