-The Times of India NEW DELHI: To hear the students describe it, the near-7km journey to secondary school in Tughlaqabad is an odyssey beset with a variety of dangers - errant auto-walas, major roads with heavy traffic, sexual harassment. Many opt out. Nearly 1,400 complete fifth grade from two municipal primary schools in I and F2 blocks of Sangam Vihar every year, and, till last session, nearly 500 would drop out...

-Live Mint CBSE ties up with Pearson Education India, the local arm of British education company Pearson Plc, to conduct assessments New Delhi: Schools that follow the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) system are moving to better assess students' ability to grasp what they are taught in class and their readiness to move to the next level, at least partly out of concern over reports questioning the quality of India's...

-Live Mint Almost two decades after the Panchayati Raj Act was notified, a key aim of the legislation remains unfulfilled Papapatti/Madurai district: S. Muruganadam, 38, is the Dalit president of the Papapatti village panchayat in Madurai district and a post-graduate in political science. His term ends in 2016 and he has made up his mind not to run for re-election. "I think a panchayat president's post is an important post because only...

-Live Mint Lack of decentralization means municipalities lack power, resources to meet rising aspirations of ‘middle' India Othakadai, Madurai (Tamil Nadu)/Hubli (Karnataka): S. Paramasivam , president of the Othakadai panchayat, has big plans for his area. "Rainwater harvesting, removal of encroachments on roads, waste recycling, covered drainage, bigger primary health care centres and community parks," lists the 58-year-old, who has spent 30 years in the stainless steel business that dominates industry...

-Live Mint Almost two decades after the Panchayati Raj Act was notified, a key aim of the legislation remains unfulfilled Papapatti/Madurai district: S. Muruganadam, 38, is the Dalit president of the Papapatti village panchayat in Madurai district and a post-graduate in political science. His term ends in 2016 and he has made up his mind not to run for re-election. "I think a panchayat president's post is an important post because only he...