-The Telegraph From July 1, TV viewers in the four metros will for the first time have a choice over which channels to watch and not have it decided for them by multi-system operators (MSOs) and local cable operators. Also, they will have to pay only for channels they have chosen. The rest of India will have this choice by December 2014 when the digital transmission of cable TV signals becomes mandatory...

-PTI The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is probing several complaints of misuse of personal data and duplication of cards while issuing 'Aadhaar' numbers to individuals. "UIDAI has received six complaints regarding errors or complaints regarding use of address documents. Four were received on UIDAI helpline on May 7, 13, 23, 2011 and March 9, 2012 and two by emails on February 27, 2012 and August 10, 2011. The complaints were...

Here is a new set of official statistics that can escalate the politically contentious debate on what constitutes the poverty line. If the average monthly consumption expenditure is taken as the benchmark of what an individual needs to survive, the poverty linewould be Rs 66.10 for urban areas and Rs 35.10 for rural regions, while about 65% of the population will be below this cutoff. The figures, based on the 66th round...

In 2005, when the Labour Party decided to implement the National Identity Project (NIP) in the UK, it drew severe criticism from many quarters, including the Tories, who later scrapped the NIP after coming to power. A report by the London School of Economics (LSE), which stated the project is “unsafe in law” and should be regarded as a “potential danger to public interest”, was instrumental in buttressing the arguments...

The Supreme Court in its verdict on the constitutionality of the Right to Education Act in relation to the reservation of seats for Economically Weaker Section [EWS] and socially disadvantaged [SD] children has rightly upheld the principle of integration. It is hard to see how it could have been any other way. In fact, the arguments against segregation and in favour of diversity in schools have long been settled in...