-The Hindu Business Line After decades of neglect, Delhi’s government schools are finally turning the page with much-needed improvements to facilities and teaching methods. But problems such as staff shortage and a broken primary education system refuse to go away easily Delhi’s bustling IP Extension has a familiar skyline — a linear arrangement of ageing residential complexes. A gleaming new building in their midst catches the eye. Until recently, the Rajkiya Sarvodaya...

-The Hindu ‘16% publishers agree to attach names to a paper without any research work’ For as much as Rs. 20,000, any “researcher” can become a published author in predatory journals. Pravin Bolshete, a medical researcher from Mumbai, decided to delve into the world of “predatory journals” — those that charge authors for publications in journals without due scientific process — and if the name of an author could be attached to a...

-The Hindu Business Line Policymaking has sensibly shifted away from banning the prescription of brand names More than three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi fired the salvo on getting doctors to prescribe medicines using their generic names, the discussion seems to be on a slow burner. From the strident position that all doctors will have to prescribe medicines using their generic or chemical names, there appears to be a more reconciled acceptance...

-The Financial Express A half-dozen years ago, I participated in a conference on water resource challenges in India. I remember Upmanu Lall, professor at Columbia University, graphically and bluntly making the point that Punjab’s water table was not far from collapse. This has been known for years, and there have been feeble efforts to deal with the problem, but they have been far short of what is needed. My own understanding...

-PTI To curb charging of “unreasonable” fees and levying of “hidden” costs, the CBSE has sought data from private schools about their Fee Structure and increase carried out in recent years. The move comes weeks after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) warned private schools against turning into “shops” by selling uniform and books in their premises. “We have told the schools that they should not charge unreasonable fees. The charges should...