-The Hindu The Betul tragedy shows that the state does not consider emotional or intellectual maturity important in a person who teaches children Picture a small boy facing two adult men. They are furious over something they suspect he has done, so they start hitting him. They feel they have the authority to do so because they are teachers. The boy is absolutely helpless. It hardly matters for this picture whether he...

-The Indian Express Under fire for her suggestion that a family of five could purchase a month’s ration of rice, wheat and pulses for Rs 600, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday claimed that her statement had been taken out of context. With the BJP cashing in on the criticism against Dikshit’s statement, the Chief Minister held her ground claiming that the critics had “failed to understand” the Delhi government scheme she...

-The Economic Times The oil ministry may raise prices of diesel by Re 1 a litre or that of cooking gas by Rs 100 to neutralise the impact of its plan to increase the supply of subsidised cylinders to households, government officials said. "A Re 1 hike in diesel prices would generate about Rs 8,000 crore a year, which is sufficient for three additional cylinders in a year. About Rs 100 hike...

-The Indian Express The UPA is banking on cash transfers as a political tool, but it must concentrate on programme design The Congress has been congratulating itself on its newly announced direct cash transfer scheme — P. Chidambaram described it as a game-changer, Sonia Gandhi declared it nothing short of revolutionary, and Rahul Gandhi reportedly claimed that “Aapka Paisa, Aapke Haath” would bring the party generous political dividends. The Congress may have...

-The Times of India The Right to Education Act (RTE) mandates that every child has the fundamental right to free and compulsory elementary education in India. March 31, 2013, is the deadline set for full implementation of the Act. However, several challenges need to be overcome, especially to provide education for children in areas of conflict.  In the Indian context, three regions experience varying degrees of conflict - Maoist-affected areas, Jammu and...