-The Indian Express Under fire for her suggestion that a family of five could purchase a month’s ration of rice, wheat and pulses for Rs 600, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday claimed that her statement had been taken out of context. With the BJP cashing in on the criticism against Dikshit’s statement, the Chief Minister held her ground claiming that the critics had “failed to understand” the Delhi government scheme she...

-The Indian Express Increasing provident fund contributions within a faulty system is not the answer The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is moving towards increasing the mandatory contributions made towards an individual’s provident fund (PF). Contributions to the PF are 24 per cent of basic wages. Earlier, employers would exclude allowances such as the housing allowance (HRA) to make the basic wage look smaller, and pay lower amounts. If the EPFO has...

-The Times of India The Right to Education Act (RTE) mandates that every child has the fundamental right to free and compulsory elementary education in India. March 31, 2013, is the deadline set for full implementation of the Act. However, several challenges need to be overcome, especially to provide education for children in areas of conflict.  In the Indian context, three regions experience varying degrees of conflict - Maoist-affected areas, Jammu and...

-DNA The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials involved with the probe in the murder of RTI activist Satish Shetty, have said that the scrutiny of call records of the people they are examining and the analysis of data retrieved from the hard disks of their computers, has revealed information that could lead to the fresh arrests. Shetty, who hails from Talegaon Dabhade, in Pune district, was stabbed and killed on his...

-Tehelka While Delhi government says it will eliminate leakages in the supply chain of food distribution, activists say it will take away the rights of the poor who require food entitlements rather than cash When Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit fumbled a bit in front of 5,000 people while delivering her speech at the launch of Annshree Yojna, the audience let out a collective gasp and began murmuring loudly. Dikshit had...