-The Hindu NHRC has objected to registration of attempt to murder case Sivaganga: Human Rights activists decried the killing of the two accused in the Sub-Inspector Alwin Sudhan murder case in an ‘encounter’ near Manamadurai on Friday night even as the local Judicial Magistrate launched an enquiry on Saturday. The police claim that they shot dead Prabu and Bharathi at Theethanpettai when they attempted to escape while being brought from Madurai Central Prison...

-The Telegraph Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s ambitious plan to replace the leak-prone subsidy regime with direct cash transfers to bank accounts of beneficiaries may get delayed in Bengal because of tardy progress of biometric enrolment of residents in the National Population Register (NPR). Data available with the state’s directorate of census operations, which is overseeing NPR biometric enrolment, show that only 18.8 per cent of the population has been covered under the...

-The Business Standard UID can shift focus from the government's functioning to the intended beneficiaries and ease of access The central government is seriously thinking of putting in place a technology-based platform to hand over subsidies directly into the hands of their intended beneficiaries. A number of pilots are under way for handing over, for example, kerosene subsidies for household consumption. While this is largely a central government initiative, state governments...

-Press Information Bureau The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 has brought in several reform processes. States/UTs have inter-alia brought out notifications prohibiting corporal punishment, detention and board Examinations in elementary education. The National Council for Teachers’ Education (NCTE) has laid down teacher qualifications and 22 States/UTs have conducted Teacher Eligibility Tests to improve the quality of teaching. In order to ensure free and compulsory education for...

-PTI The Central Vigilance Commission has recommended action against 136 officials working in various government departments for their alleged involvement in corruption. Of the total, a highest of 32 are working in Department of Telecommunications, 17 in State Bank of India, 11 in Ministry of Railways and nine in Bank of India among others. Besides, seven officials working in Central Board of Excise and Customs and four officials each in Bharat Sanchar Nigam...