-Economic and Political Weekly There are basic methodological and conceptual problems with recent research that ends up arguing that private school education is more effective than public education. Such findings have obvious policy implications but it is critical that research that informs policy is based on a correct reading of facts, keeping the larger vision of education in mind. Recent research into the cost effectiveness of public education vis-à-vis private education concludes...

-Outlook The poor are increasingly displaying food preferences for better tasting, flavoured and packaged foods but with low nutritional content. Renewed Media hype about counting the number of poor was sparked by the recent release of the Socio-Economic Caste Census. While many analysts found the prevalence of poverty alarmingly high, others debunked the SECC report for its muddled and incoherent view of deprivation. An important contribution of this report, however, is the...

Did anyone ever tell you that there exists rural-urban, class as well as caste gap in households’ access to clean fuel for cooking and lighting? This has been revealed by a new report from the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO). (Please see the links below). The NSS 68th round report entitled Energy Sources of Indian Households for Cooking and Lighting has found that more than two-third of urban households used...

 Video Volunteers identifies, trains and empowers grassroots Media producers who create change in and for voiceless communities in the developing world. With more than 170 community producers working full-time with salaries, VV is one of the largest social change Media networks in the world. Our network is spread across 103 districts in 18 States in India. More than 3000 videos on topics like child marriage, temple prostitution, insurgent conflict, atrocities...

-The Hindu Too much of public discourse on farmer suicides could bring on unseemly haggling over the numbers. Activists and the Media rightly question loopholes in the National Crime Records Bureau data, pointing out that several State governments often report no farm suicides, contrary to local Media reportage. However, there is also much needless suspicion and conspiracy-theorising; the NCRB’s data are from police station-level First Information Reports, and FIRs are often...