The executive council (EC) of Jawaharlal Nehru University — the highest decision making body of the institution — has approved the principle of reservation in faculty positions at the higher levels, viz professor and associate professor. “The EC ratified the decision to extend reservation to all levels in its meeting on Monday,” a JNU EC member told HT. This is in conformity with the UGC guidelines issued in 2006 extending quotas to...

-The Times of India   In what could spell major trouble for TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, the AP High Court on Monday directed the CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and state police to independently probe the allegations that he and his associates amassed wealth by plundering public assets. The court was responding to a petition filed last month by the late CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy's widow and YSR Congress MLA, Vijayamma. All...

At BANCON (annual bankers' conference) 2011 in Chennai, financial institutions explored avenues for greater participation in agriculture and rural development. There are a few areas in need of additional attention and investment. Green Revolution technologies are scale-neutral but not resource-neutral. Inputs are needed for output; therefore market-purchased inputs become important in providing soil and plant healthcare for higher yields. Social scientists point out that small and marginal farmers will be excluded...

-The Telegraph   Nearly four dozen deemed Universities, found unfit for the tag by a review panel two years ago, have got no respite from another committee that was set up under Supreme Court instructions to re-examine their deficiencies. A three-member panel of current and former HRD ministry officials heard each of the 44 varsities deemed “unworthy” of the label and decided not to differ from what the review panel had said. The ministry...

To control inflation and ensure long-term economic growth, India needs to harness the creativity of the large number of its farmers and entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas. The latest WPI inflation data show primary articles inflation in double digit, driven mainly by food inflation which remains stubbornly high at over 9 per cent. The high food prices are the result of structural factors with shortages getting aggravated as demand continues to outstrip...