-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Even as cities reel under the growing burden of private vehicles, government data shows that nearly 90% of Indians don't own a vehicle. This points to the need to scale up public transport, both to provide affordable travel options to such citizens and to prevent them from buying private vehicles and adding to the traffic chaos. According to government estimates, there are 18.64 crore vehicles in...

-The Hindu Democracies are not sustained by obedient productive units in so-called knowledge-based economies. But that is precisely what the new National Education Policy envisages “Public policy,” according to Douglas Gomery, “is the making of governmental rules and regulations to benefit not one individual but society as a whole. It asks, what is the best way to conceive and evaluate policies aimed at the public as a whole and its various subgroups?”...

-The Indian Express Lokpal amendments underline the resistance of political class to scrutiny The Lokpal Act passed more than two and a half years ago has not been operationalised till date. The reason? The law states that the panel to select the Lokpal must include the recognised leader of opposition. Since the BJP government has not recognised anyone as the LoP, an amendment was required to ensure that the leader of the...

-The Indian Express Share of Muslims in official 3.7 lakh ‘beggar’ population is disproportionately larger than the community’s share in country’s population, show Census data. Mumbai: Muslims make up 14.23% of India’s population. They are, however, nearly 25% of the 3.7 lakh individuals who have been listed as beggars by the Government of India. Activists claim that the data — released last month — on the religious orientation of those deemed ‘non workers’...

-The Hindu They may not need to file returns of their assets for now, but they remain under the ambit of the Lokpal Act New Delhi/ Chennai: Bowing to demands from various quarters — NGOs and political, corporate and philanthropic institutions — the Centre swiftly moved an amendment to address concerns arising from the mandatory declaration of assets and liabilities under the Lok Pal and Lokayukta Act, 2013. While the amended Act continues...