New census data on asset ownership among different social groups has shown that a far higher proportion of scheduled castes and higher still of scheduled tribes do not own basic consumer durables like a phone or bicycle as compared to "others". Three states however buck this trend; across caste groupings in Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the rate of ownership of basic consumer durables is high. In fact, the asset ownership...

Dalits, OBCs in India’s colleges are using beef as a symbol of a resurgent identity     “Non-Brahmins have evidently undergone a revolution. From being beef-eaters to have become non-beef-eaters was indeed a revolution. But if non-Brahmins underwent one revolution, Brahmins had undergone two. They gave up beef-eating, which was one revolution. To have given up meat-eating altogether and become vegetarians was another revolution.”     —B.R. Ambedkar *** The Beef Menu     Available In Kerala,...

With its granaries brimming over, the government faces a crippling dilemma: The tab for releasing foodgrain to make way for new arrivals adds up to Rs 20,000-25,000 crore, an unviable addition to the subsidy bill. The government's bind was succinctly outlined by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee when he told a meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday that vacating food silos will mean a hefty cost at a time...

Performance-enhancing drugs are no longer restricted to the high-stakes world of professional sports. Eleven participants at the 57th National School Games in Delhi-from Maharashtra, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, and aged between 14 and 19-tested positive for such substances earlier this year. Alarmed by the dangerous trend, the government's National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) shot off a letter to various educational boards and universities across the country, asking them to ensure dope-free sports....

Nearly a year after the government started the ambitious socio-economic and caste census (SECC), no big state has begun the enumeration exercise that was touted as a one-stop solution to accurately identify the poor for distribution of social benefits. The delay could undermine the government's attempt to plug the leakages in the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and delay the Food Security Bill expected to be implemented in November by at...