-PTI * There is a need for greater flexibility in the Indian education sector across all aspects, he said, calling the system 'very rigid' * He said private schools are 'terrible' from an outcome perspective Mumbai: Education outcomes in state-run schools can be better than the private ones, Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee said on Saturday as he lauded Delhi government schools for "outperforming" their private peers. He said state agencies have been "generous" with...

-Financial Express If panchayat allocations are merged with MGNREGA to aid asset creation, it can trigger infrastructure growth, resulting in extra income and improved conditions. There is a lot of debate around 5% GDP growth and its impact on the organised sector. Although the government has been taking multiple steps to trigger the economy, there is a need to focus on rural India, in terms of optimising of fund allocations and revision...

-CounterCurrents.org Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) this year has almost come to a standstill. While the nation is debating the economic slowdown and falling demand in the rural areas , economists emphasizing that increase in the rural income and generating resources for the poor as a potential solution to the on going crisis, the so called world’s largest job scheme remains neglected by the Government of India. While focusing...

-PTI Earlier in July, the Centre changed the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission and mandated the panel to suggest ways for allocation of non-lapsable funds for defence and internal security. New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the government should have taken chief ministers' views before changing the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission, adding that unilateralism is not good for federal policy and...

-The Indian Express While the link between suicide and mental disorders, especially depression and alcohol use, is well established, WHO finds that many suicides happen during a crisis and because of an individual’s inability to deal with stress. A fact sheet released by the World Health Organization last week shows that close to 8 lakh people die due to suicide every year. In other words, suicides account for one death every...