-Live Mint Central Information Commission is unclear on the key issue of funding by Central and state governments  A decision on including political parties under the Right to Information (RTI) Act may get delayed by more than a month as the Central Information Commission (CIC), which is hearing the case, is unclear on the key issue of funding by Central and state governments. At the heart of the argument is whether parties receive...

-The Business Standard The sorry implications of the LPG price rollback  Following the government’s decision to increase the price of diesel and introduce a cap on the number of subsidised gas cylinders available for household use in September, there was a reasonable amount of hope that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had learned some lessons. First, that it was essential to reduce the fuel subsidy bill, the most obvious component of the...

-The Indian Express Fifteen-year-old Altaf Hussain crouches effortlessly and heads into what looks like a black hole. Dragging a large wooden cart behind him, he disappears into the gaping darkness within seconds. After what seems like an endless wait but lasts just half an hour, he emerges from the hole with a cart laden with dark, glittering coal. The head of this group of 30 is Abu Kalam Mia. The 27-year-old ‘sardar’,...

-The Indian Express Some might think of Bollywood — and films in general — as a distraction for school children. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), however, thinks films can be excellent resource material in the curriculum, and for a rather interesting subject — Value Education. In a handbook on Value Education launched today, CBSE has listed 47 classroom-worthy movies that “highlight social and moral values”. So, the 1954 Boot Polish, produced...

-Outlook Letters for deallocation of 13 private coal blocks to their owners are likely to be sent soon after the Law Ministry gives its go-ahead, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said today. These blocks were advised to be cancelled by the Inter-ministerial Group (IMG) as companies failed to develop them within the stipulated time. "We are waiting to get the Law Ministry approval for the deallocation letters for 13 blocks. We are expecting it...