-The Economic Times Sometimes, putting one and one together does make 11, but many of us seem hardwired in our thoughts to assume rural income growth is a zero-sum game. For example, some people believe subsidies have driven the 15-20 per cent a-year growth in rural wages over the last five years. They come up with "explanations", including "people are selling land and consuming", "rising minimum support prices", and "NREGA is...

-The Hindu Hyderabad: Not a single mandal in the city could achieve the distinction of retaining all the students at a single school till the end of the five-year elementary education, latest figures from the Rajiv Vidya Mission (RVM) reveal. Data of district-wise student retention rates at the elementary level has revealed that the city has zero mandals with 100 per cent student retention. Mahabubnagar is the only other district sharing...

-The Times of India PATIALA: After generating much-needed revenue from sale of government properties and taxes on sale of tobacco products in the state, Punjab is now set to pump money for its cancer relief fund from a cess on the sale of basmati rice. In a notification issued recently, the Punjab government has decided that 0.25% of the total revenue generated from the purchase of basmati in the state would be...

-Outlook The faecal matter hits the rotary blades, politically-but we're still staring at a sanitation disaster "Indians defecate everywhere. They defecate mostly besides the railway tracks. But they also defecate on the beaches; they defecate on the hills; they defecate on the river banks; they defecate on the streets; they never look for cover." -V.S. Naipaul An Area of Darkness, 1964 Not...

-The Hindu After a long and painful period of neglect, India promises to devote attention to the issue of preparing all children for primary schooling. The draft National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) policy aims to end the "current laissez faire situation" that has led to the mushrooming of expensive crèches, play schools, nursery schools and so on that adhere to no particular standard. On the other hand, there is...