-The Hindustan Times The government has decided to give the Election Commission the powers to make changes in seats reserved for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, where fresh changes have been detected during the last one decade in the population percentage of any caste.   The law ministry is ready to seek the cabinet's approval for an ordinance soon, which will empower the EC to determine the...

-PTI The government auditor CAG has found irregularities in disbursement of funds under the Rs 52,000-crore farm debt waiver scheme, 2008, as benefits have been taken by some ineligible farmers. Taking note of the the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Performance Audit of the Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme (ADWDRS) 2008, RBI has asked the banks to recover money from ineligible beneficiaries. It has also advised the banks to lodge FIRs...

The total expenditure on central schemes for the poor and on the major subsidies exceeds the states' share of central taxes. These schemes are chronic bad performers due to a culture of immunity in public administration and weakened local governments. Arguing that the poor should be trusted to use these resources better than the state, a radical redirection with substantial direct transfers to individuals and complementary decentralisation to local governments...

-The Indian Express Increasing frequency and intensity of protests reflect a deeper crisis in Indian democracy: the failure of civil society In the last five years, citizens have poured out in large numbers at Jantar Mantar and India Gate (and in many other parts of the country) to ask the state to hear their demands. In 2006, marches and sit-ins forced the state to re-examine the Jessica Lal and Priyadarshini Mattoo cases....

-The Hindu There is little doubt that US universities have a long way to go in terms of making women safe on campus In the wake of the high-profile gang rape incident in New Delhi on December 16, media and public comments have significantly centred on anti-woman attitudes in Indian society, particularly among young men. This line of introspection is indeed warranted, for there can be little doubt that these values have fuelled...