-PTI KOLKATA: Primary school teachers from across West Bengal would soon be given teaching tips on mobile phones to improve their English teaching skills. Very short versions of teaching tips in English would be available as video clips on mobile phones, as part of a project to make teacher education materials easily accessible. The project is funded and developed by the British Council in partnership with Pashchim Banga Sarva Shiksha Mission and the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday agreed to rework the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill, bowing to criticism from the BJP and regional parties. BJP had attacked the original draft of the bill, promised by the UPA in 2004, saying it was loaded against the majority community and marked an assault on the powers of states. Besides, regional parties also opposed the first draft of the legislation because...

-Down to Earth India faces a surplus of foodgrains. Is exporting a good option? With India's grain mountain set to implode, the government is desperate to push the exports of rice and wheat. However, a global glut and the resulting depression of prices are dimming the prospects of foodgrain exports. According to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the nodal agency for grain trade in the country, India is sitting on 34 million...

-Outlook Kolkata: Opposing the blanket ban imposed on bicycles and other forms of non-motorised transport (NMT) in the city, eminent social activist Medha Patkar today said such restrictions take away the right to life of poor people. "A lot of poor people are dependent on non-motorised transport for their livelihood, such a ban in effect takes away their right to life," Patkar said at the Transport City Dialogue here through videoconferencing. She said...

-Economic and Political Weekly There are few areas where the statistics are as dismal as child health in India. This paper analyses four interrelated child health indicators in West Bengal - child malnourishment (measured by the rates of stunting and wasting), prenatal, infant, and child mortality rates. It also provides evidence on how these rates vary with the gender of the child, parental education, and the wealth status of households. West...