75% of the youth. Every third student. 65% of all families in Punjab are in the throes of a sweeping drug addiction. With little or no hope in sight. THE RAILWAY barrier in Angarh, a locality in the border city of Amritsar in Punjab signals the end of too many things. The rule of law. The reign of sense. The fear of crime. The signs of normality. Even the divisions of...

To make ends meet and support her family, former national archer Nisha Rani Dutta has been forced to sell her silver bow for a measly Rs.50,000. The 21-year-old archer hails from Pathmada village in Jamshedpur district of Jharkhand and left the sport two years ago due to financial constraints. Her achievements include a silver medal at the 2008 South Asian Championship in Jharkhand, bronze at the 2006 Bangkok Grand Prix and...

-The Times of India   With a year left for schools to adhere to the norms under the RTE Act, Aaditi Isaac finds out what more needs to be done  It has been two years since the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act came into force (April 1, 2010). As per RTE, every child in the age group of 6-14 years would be provided eight years of elementary education...

-The Telegraph On Monday mornings, the white ambassadors with red beacons go missing from the premises of the municipality in Visakhapatnam. Instead, a queue of bicycles adorns the parking ground in front of the office. Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyalu and his senior officials may be entitled to government cars but on the week’s first working day, they have to leave the comfort of their cars behind and compulsorily bike to office. It’s all part...

-The Business Standard   Major subsidies extended by the government are likely to jump to Rs 1,34,411 crore during 2011-12 The Survey has warned of deteriorating fiscal health due to a mounting subsidy burden. The huge outgo over the past year has been largely on account of the global rally in crude oil prices, the fertiliser subsidy and state-controlled foodgrain prices, it said. It also blamed ‘coalition politics and federal considerations’ for holding...