-The Hindu Many living on the streets are most vulnerable to COVID infection, say NGOs Hyderabad: The homeless, living on streets of Hyderabad, and who do not have a photo ID card did not receive COVID-19 vaccine yet, said members of NGOs working for welfare of such homeless people. Members of Aman Vedika, a NGO, said that while those with Aadhaar card or other ID card were administered the vaccine, those who do...

-The Hindu Pratichi Trust report highlights the massive impact on the teaching-learning process About 40% primary school students could not attend online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic owing to the digital divide, a report published by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s Pratichi (India) Trust found. The study was compiled on the basis of experiences shared by hundreds of teachers across 21 State-run primary schools in Kolkata. The 72-page report highlights the issues faced by...

-The Hindu Survey used a scorecard to assess and rate reports on suicide incidents by 9 newspapers across India The Hindu has topped in an assessment of multiple English newspapers for responsible reporting of suicide-related news. The study — The Application of a Scorecard Tool for Assessing and Engaging Media on Responsible Reporting of Suicide-Related News in India — was conducted by the Department of Psychiatry, Voluntary Health Services and SNEHA Suicide Prevention...

-The Hindu Gross domestic expenditure on research has stayed at 0.7% of the GDP for years While India has made ‘solid progress’ towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets concerning industry, infrastructure and innovation, the country’s investment in research remains unsatisfactory, the UNESCO Science Report has observed. The gross domestic expenditure on research (GERD) has been stagnant at 0.7% of the GDP for years, although, in absolute terms, research expenditure has increased, the...

-The Hindu It will complicate payment system, may lead to a reduction in funding, say experts. The Centre has asked the States to split wage payments under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme into separate categories for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and others from this financial year. Workers’ rights advocates said this will unnecessarily complicate the payment system, and expressed fears that it may lead to a reduction...