The only bright spot in the latest Census, 2011, was the data on literacy. It seems to be increasing by leaps and bounds. In fact, one would imagine that walking into the forests of Jharkhand, the first man you meet will know how to read and write fluently in Hindi or the local dialect. Or, Bihar which will receive a trophy from the President for achieving the highest growth in literacy...

-The Hindu   A committee comprising representatives of people from different walks of life has been constituted for ensuring the entry of Dalits into the caste Hindu areas in Perali village near here. Members of the committee ensured that the Dalits were permitted to ride their bicycles on the streets dominated by caste Hindus in the village. On Tuesday, a group of Dalits along with their wards rode their bicycles. The committee was constituted...

The global 'farmland grab' in Ethiopia and the rest of Africa has become competitive, with companies from Asia, including India and China, joining it. AN extraordinary new process has been at work in the past few years: the aggressive entry of Indian corporations into the markets for agricultural land in Africa. At one level, this process is simply following the hoary old tradition in global capitalism of firms (often supported...

The flawed Bill on food security has not received the kind of publicity that the Lokpal Bill has, but that does not diminish its significance. “THIS government has divided everything and everyone. There are different cards for different sections of the poor. If my employer, taking pity on me, gives me an old television, I am not entitled to a yellow card [Below Poverty Line card]. My son who is...

Gate erected by caste Hindus to be removed A gate erected on Dalit Street 35 years ago to prevent Dalits from entering the area occupied by upper caste Hindus will be removed. Though it was kept open in the last five years, the 75-odd Dalit families used to avoid the street fearing repercussions. They used to go to MGR daily market via Royakottai main road. The street falls in the Reserved Ward...