-The Hindu Economic growth alone is not enough to achieve key Sustainable Development Goals. It must translate into jobs for the poor and marginalised India is the fastest growing large economy in the world today. Despite this, one in every five Indians is poor. Multilateral agencies as well as governments are playing an active role in understanding problems relating to poverty and hunger and finding solutions to them. But these challenges are...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Having largely failed to nudge schools towards greater transparency by publicly disclosing their fee — for people to judge if it was commensurate with the facilities provided — the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is acting tough. It has now made it mandatory for all schools across the country to make public information about their functioning under 130 heads. School managements are protesting against what...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government has decided to focus on over 500 autonomous bodies -from the University Grants Commission and Jawahar Lal Nehru University to Delhi Development Authority, Prasar Bharati and CSIR -and has asked Niti Aayog to review the performance of these entities that have mushroomed over the years with little oversight. Sources told TOI that Niti Aayog has been entrusted the task as the government looks to...

-The Indian Express The fires are so many and so widespread that satellites flying hundreds of kilometres above the Earth record their presence. New Delhi: North India faces an annual trauma as winter approaches — the air in the region having more than 200 million people becomes toxic. Fingers are pointed at the hand that feeds India, farmers in the granary of the country are rebuked asking them not to burn agriculture...

-Deccan Chronicle Residue exceeding permissible levels found in 100 out of 1,920 samples. Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh and Telangana account for a hefty 24 per cent share of pesticide consumption in the country. The two states are grappling with increased pesticide residue in food commodities, while pesticides can help repel insects, pests and other diseases, their excessive/irrational use can lead to health hazards, ecological disturbance and disruption, increased pesticide resistance, etc. The adverse...