-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Recruitment of minorities in central government services fell from 11.56% of total hires in 2010-11 to just 6.89% in 2012-13, according to data collected from nearly 70 Union ministries and departments. The government, which released the data in reply to a Parliament question on Thursday, has blamed the falling recruitment levels of minority candidates, which depends on the number of applications received and percentage of qualifying...

-The Hindu There is no disparagement of subsidies in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh because those who attack the social welfare policies of the Congress regard them as examples of good governance by a party of the Right Three propositions dominate explanations of the Congress party's rout, the Bharatiya Janata Party's impressive victory and the Aam Aadmi Party's stunning success in Delhi in the recent Assembly elections. One, that there is a strong...

-The Indian Express The UPA government's ambitious Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act was notified on Tuesday, and will come into effect from January 1 next year. The rules to the Act, however, are yet to finalised. The Act, which replaces the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, has sought to correct the low rates of compensation under the old Act by providing compensation of up to...

-The Indian Express There is still no compelling rationale for the lokpal. It is either too much or too little Even as the Lokpal Bill began its journey through the Rajya Sabha, the two men who had crusaded most ardently for it expressed diametrically opposed views on it. Arvind Kejriwal, AAP leader, called it a "jokepal", and said that the final version approved by the cabinet was so feeble that it could...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has slammed states and Union territories for adopting an "utterly callous attitude" in enforcing path-breaking laws enacted by Parliament to protect children from sexual exploitation and to ensure them their rights including right to education. The court had on January 3 issued a series of directions asking states and UTs to implement three laws: Protection of Rights of Children from Sexual Offences Act,...