-The Hindustan Times Setting a precedent, over 150 khaps from different parts of Haryana held a maha panchayat in Bibipur on Saturday and resolved to wipe out female foeticide from the state. Women khap members also attended the panchayat. Several khap leaders including Sunil Jaglan, sarpanch of Bibipur, Om Prakash Mann, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Jaat Mahasabha, Dharampal Chhot, president of the All India Jaat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti, and Dr Attar...

-The Hindustan Times   The rain gods may have brought some cheer to everyone after a scorching summer, but a sense of gloom about the Indian economy appears to be building. A study by US-based Pew Research Centre has found that while just a year ago, 51% people were satisfied with the way things were in the country (and 47% dissatisfied), today, the proportions have reversed — 59% are dissatisfied and only...

-The Hindustan Times Thousands of tribals living in forests across will now be able to claim land as Tribal Affairs ministry on Thursday relaxed norms in a bid to thwart attempt of forest department official to reject the claims.   As per the new rules notified under the Forest Rights Act, the ministry had allowed tribal and forest dwellers to submit all available evidence to claim land in forest areas. The forest department...

-The Hindustan Times The Punjab government on Wednesday hammered out a compromise in a village between upper caste landlords and Dalit labourers who endured a month-long social boycott and loss of work for demanding “just” wages. But the truce — on paper — at Maha Singh Wala village in southern Punjab’s Sangrur district, 142 km from Chandigarh, appeared unsteady to Dalits as well as the landlords who had enforced the social...

To replace ‘Dalit’ with ‘SC’, as the Thorat panel recommends, is to be inaccurate A commission led by S.K. Thorat, and charged with reviewing NCERT political science textbooks in the wake of the cartoon controversy, has singled out a specific word in the text for removal. All instances of the word “Dalit”, it is recommended, should be replaced with “Scheduled Caste” (SC). The blogosphere is rife with speculation on the motivation...