-The Business Standard Kolkata: Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, Ford Foundation International professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has slammed the government's Right To Education (RTE) programme. This, he said, was only a step towards ensuring a means of livelihood for teachers. Banerjee said the programme, implemented in 2009, lacked sense. He said he wasn't hopeful about the outcome of the initiative. "It is simply for the teachers, by the teachers,...

-India Today A day before the city government is due to present its crucial Budget, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday promised to provide ample employment opportunities and other facilities to Delhiites . The CM also refuted allegations of the government being 'insensitive' and reminded that a dedicated helpline number for women in distress had been set up. Presenting the economic survey in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday, Dikshit said the city...

-The Hindustan Times Mumbai: With the proposed government guidelines on the Right to Education Act nowhere in sight, many city schools have enrolled students under the 25% RTE quota, despite the risk that such admissions could be declared illegal later. The government notification containing guidelines and schedules for the implementation of the RTE Act was to be issued in November 2012. Many schools had delayed the admission schedule waiting for the notification...

-Outlook Only seven out of 80 samples of mid-day meals served in schools under North Delhi Municipal Corporation in the last one year passed the minimum requirements for both adequate protein and calorie content. The figure was presented before the NDMC House during a special meeting today. Officials said the food was not found to be contaminated or adulterated but it lacked prescribed protein and calorie content. Over four lakh students are being served...

-The Hindu In a small town in Karnataka, government-school students are working to ensure that their schools meet the infrastructure norms of the RTE Act. Can this model be replicated elsewhere in the country? Kishore Mahadevaiah, a Std VII student, is describing his ideal school. “The school should be very clean and neat. In every class, there should be teaching and learning materials and sports materials and qualified teachers. And there should...