Online teaching was perhaps the most preferred mode (of the policymakers) for imparting education to school children in the last two years when schools faced closures thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was promoted by both the Central and State Governments when mobility almost came to a standstill (or got restricted in comparison to normal times) during the last two years. However, various studies (a list of those studies is...

-India Spend/ Scroll.in These programmes should look at skilling the workforce for paid jobs rather than unpaid, part-time volunteers. Central government programmes on water emphasise groundwater management by the community in a decentralised manner but, by and large, these schemes are silent on the availability, training and deployment of a skilled workforce for this task, especially in rural areas. Water management at the most decentralised, local levels is often a part-time, volunteer or...

-The Telegraph The social audits take note of issues such as the card holders’ grievances and whether projects have been completed correctly The Centre has linked approval for the states’ rural job scheme budgets to their performance on certain transparency measures, hanging a cloud over funds release under the programme from April 1. The Union rural development ministry on Tuesday wrote to all the states seeking information by Wednesday on the social audits...

-IndiaToday.in Eleven migrant workers from Bihar were burnt alive when flames engulfed a scrap godown in Hyderabad. As many as six fire engines were required to bring the fire under control. Hyderabad: Eleven workers were burnt alive when a massive fire engulfed a scrap godown in Hyderabad’s Bhoiguda area on Wednesday morning. Six fire engines were required to bring the fire under control. One person managed to survive after he broke a window...

-The Wire Science There is reason to celebrate the drop of India’s maternal mortality rate: the decline is consistent and continuous, indicating that the reproductive health of India’s women is getting better. However, a closer look at the state-level MMR data reveals that the all-India three-year average of maternal deaths camouflages the performance of some states. We can predict that the Empowered Action Group states and Assam will have to redouble their...