-The Indian Express Will not halt research but not rushing through decision, says Javadekar. HELPING THE government buy peace with activists protesting against granting clearance to the first transgenic food crop in the country, the biotechnology regulator on Friday deferred a decision on allowing the cultivation of a genetically-modified (GM) hybrid mustard. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), a body under the Environment Ministry that regulates the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs),...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Delhi High Court today stayed a ban on management quotas in private schools clamped by the Arvind Kejriwal government, paving the way for admissions to resume in 2,500-odd institutions. In its interim order, the court referred to an earlier judgment that such quotas could only be abolished by passing a law, not through an "office order" of the kind the AAP government had issued. The court also upheld 11...

-The Telegraph The Narendra Modi government's decision to abolish the National Development Council is a further blow against the federal structure of our republic. True, the NDC did not have a constitutional status, and differed in this respect from the Inter-State Council, whose activation was often demanded by the Left, precisely because it was a constitutional body, for deciding inter alia on the composition and terms of reference of finance commissions....

-The Hindu Business Line 10 years on, MGNREGA to get more funds   New Delhi: Barely three weeks ahead of Budget 2016-17, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley indicated that the government could increase budgetary allocations for rural and social schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The allocation may be even higher than the ₹35,000 crore allocated in 2015-16. “One engine to grow further, despite the global slowdown that has also impacted our exports, can...

-Hindustan Times New Delhi: The ongoing strike by municipal workers in Delhi has deprived a majority of over 12 lakh poor students of their daily nutrition in the form of mid-day meals. Officials said since teachers were either not reporting to work or not teaching, the attendance in 1,860 municipal schools had gone down and affected the distribution of mid-day meals. The mid-day meal scheme is a government programme designed to improve the...