-The Tribune 54 pilot schools in Delhi are changing perception towards schools run by the government Let’s confess. Most of us who comPLAin about the government, on TV and in print, do not need to use government services such as schools and hospitals. The condition of roads impacts our perception of how a government is performing because our air-conditioned cars occasionally travel on those roads — good or bad. If we see...

-Hindustan Times In an effort to relieve farmers’ economic distress, the Centre included in the Union Budget an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for monsoon crops and pledged Rs 500 crore to Operation Greens, a programme to help growers of tomatoes, onions, and potatoes. New Delhi: The benefits from the Union Budget’s concessions to agriculture will not be shared equally among Indian farmers. Dalits, in particular, may lose out on the...

-The Indian Express Despite deforestation and human encroachment, the country’s forest cover has remained stable around 20% since Independence. This is because the loss of natural old-growth forests is compensated on paper by expanding monoculture PLAntations. Since Independence, a fifth of India’s land has consistently been under forests. The population has increased more than three times since 1947, and from 1951-80, a total 42,380 sq km of forestland was diverted — some...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Fast depleting ground water in nearly 30% of the assessed blocks in the country has pushed the Centre to fast-track its Rs 6,000 crore ambitious PLAn aimed at efficient management of available water resources and strengthening of recharge mechanism through community participation. Half of the total cost of this central scheme, named Atal Bhujal Yojana, will be supported by the World Bank as loan while the...

-The Indian Express Various changes have been introduced in the execution of the government's skilling programme to generate more jobs, but to no avail. An average of just over one out of six people trained under the scheme have found a job. The government’s flagship skilling scheme — Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) — continues to grapple with the issue of achieving end-results, despite fresh attempts to redirect its focus to...