-Business Standard The Centre proposed a slew of measures for workers ahead of Labour Day. Suggesting flexibility for employers in hiring and firing labour, it also proposed provisions for a better compensation package. Union Labour Secretary Shankar Aggarwal tells Somesh Jha both workers and employers should be ready for a change demanded by the new dynamism of the economy. Edited excerpts: * How important is rationalisation of trade unions? Unions are formed so...

-The Times of India AHMEDABAD: The Hindu Marriage Act clearly states that the BRIdegroom should have completed the age of 21 years and the BRIde 18 years at the time of the marriage. But going by the 2011 census figures, 1.06 lakh girls and 70,312 boys who have been married are below 15 years of age. The figures reveal that nearly one fourth of the married girls in the state are below...

-Economic and Political Weekly Ten years on, the progressive provisions of the amended Indian Patents Act are being watered down. Ten years have passed since the Indian Patents Act, 1970 was amended in 2005 to BRIng the country’s laws in line with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The most important of the 2005 amendments was the introduction of product patents for 20 years, including for pharmaceutical products,...

-Outlook New Delhi: Promising a revamp of Delhi's education system, the state government today said it will form its own education board on the lines of CBSE and NCERT, come out with new syllabus and also amend existing education laws. In a first-of-its kind interaction under one roof, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisosia today met principals of all the government schools at Tyagraj Stadium here. The announcement came...

-PTI Raising serious questions about the quality of Ph.D holders in the country, a parliamentary panel has sought an evaluation report to understand why suitable candidates were hard to find for vacant teaching posts. With over 7,000 research scholars being awarded Ph.D every year, the panel has suggested “reorienting” the entire system of evaluation of Ph.D and other research scholars. In its report tabled in Parliament last week, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on...