-The Telegraph   The Right to Education (RTE) Act does not bar any child from outside the “neighbourhood” to participate in the lottery system for admission to schools — contrary to what the Bengal government has been claiming. The enforcement of such a radius rule yesterday had triggered a near-riot in a Malda school that cited a government directive and disallowed applicants who reside beyond 1km from participating in a draw. State governments are...

The approach paper for the 12th Five-Year Plan with focus on faster, sustained and inclusive growth is candid and forward-looking. On poverty reduction, the document notes, without comment, the annual trend decline of 0.8% accelerating to 1% during 2004-05 to 2009-10, against a promised target of 2% in the 11th Plan. It emphasises that India will easily meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of halving poverty by 2015, over 25...

The goals of the Right to Education (RTE) Act are unrealistic and unachievable in its entirety education experts and policymakers said at a conference here today, and endorsed the need for more dialogues with civil society, government agencies and educational service providers to bring the landmark legislation to fruition.              There is an imperative need to look afresh into the RTE Act, iron out its ambiguities and...

-The Times of India   Police have arrested four persons on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in the murder of Dyurdhan Swain, a construction company worker, during a clash at the proposedPosco project site near Dhinkia in Jagatsinghpur district last week, said OIC (Kujang police station) Gupteswar Bhoi. The accused were identified as Lalita Bhujabala, Sanatan Mohanty, Loknath Swain and Chandrasekhar Patanaik of Paradip. They were reportedly aides of Bapi Sarkhel, the controversial...

-The Hindu   Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday expressed her “strong opposition” to the draft Food Security Bill, 2011 and urged the Centre to exempt Tamil Nadu from the purview of the Bill. In her letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, she said the proposed Bill was replete with “confusion and inaccuracy.” The proposed classification of target groups into priority household (PHH) and general household (GHH) for delivery of food entitlements would surely invite...