-The Indian Express Due to political compulsions, focus of development not on Muslims, but on other minorities. A committee appointed by the central government to review the implementation of the recommendations of the Sachar panel has suggested that a law on the lines of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act be enacted to safeguard the Muslim community. The committee headed by Amitabh Kundu, professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University,...

-The Indian Express The Sachar Committee report said financial resources and physical targets available to minorities, especially Muslims The Congress-led UPA created a multi-sectoral development programme for 90 Minority Concentrated Districts (MCD) in the country but a review panel scrutinising implementation of the Sachar Committee recommendations did not perceive any special concern for these districts. The panel said the government neither properly assessed development deficit in these districts, nor made adequate financial...

-The Indian Express Govt officials, opposition question Mamata doles to Muslims Kolkata: communal clashes have jumped in rural Bengal, police records show. Such incidents, annually between 12 and 40 for five years until 2012, peaked at 106 last year. Government officials fear that in an election year, the growing conflict could lead to polarisation of the electorate. West Bengal has always been considered a peaceful state in terms of communal amity. But the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Don't be surprised if Parliament manages to clear a slew of anti-graft bills, the Telangana Bill or the communal Violence Prevention Bill despite the din in the next few days of the current session - 17% of bills, 20 to be precise, were passed by the 15th Lok Sabha with less than five minutes' discussion. According to an analysis by PRS Legislative Research, of the...

-PTI A maximum of 247 communal violence-related incidents, which claimed 77 lives, took place in Uttar Pradesh in 2013, the government told Rajya Sabha today. Maharashtra came next with 88 communal violence incidents last year followed by Madhya Pradesh (84), Karnataka (73), Gujarat (68), Bihar (63) and Rajasthan (52). While 12 people were killed in Maharashtra in these incidents, 11 people were killed in MP during the same period. Uttar Pradesh...