-Economic and Political Weekly   The media does need to look at its nexus with business interests; injured innocence will not do. Recent remarks by the new chair of the Press Council of India, Justice (retired) M Katju, have sparked off some-thing of a debate in the media. Katju’s comments on the intellectual capabilities of journalists and his low opinion of their abilities have predictably led to indignant protestations by media bodies. But...

-The Business StaNDArd   It is not often that the government accepts the report of a committee promptly without detailed scrutiny. But an exception has been made &NDAsh; and with good reasons &NDAsh; in respect of the report of the task force on reforming the public distribution system (PDS). The committee, headed by Unique Identification Authority of India Chairman NaNDAn Nilekani, has made several valuable recommeNDAtions that can cure some of the...

-The Hindu Business Line   The Rural Development Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh's proposal to amend the law on minimum wages to permit a lower wage for employment under the rural jobs scheme (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or MGNREGA) makes practical sense. The Karnataka High Court ruled recently that wages set under MGNREGA cannot be independent of the MWA. Effectively, it means there can be no such thing as an...

A mobile device that detects TB by 'sniffing' a person's breath will make a huge impact in villages far from health facilities A team of Indian researchers are planning to have a prototype of an "electronic nose" that can detect tuberculosis from a person's breath in hospitals by October 2013, after receiving a $950,000 grant on MoNDAy. Working on the same principles as a breathalyser, the device &NDAsh; if successful &NDAsh; could...

-The Hindu Justice Markandey Katju, Chairman, Press Council of India, argues that the media has a very important role to play in helping the country make the transition from an old feudal society to a modern industrial one quickly, and without much pain. The Role the Media should be playing in India by Justice Markandey Katju, (former Judge, Supreme Court of India), Chairman, Press Council of India To understand the role which...