-The Times of India If you think that journalism is a glamorous profession, here's a reality check. Five journalists were killed and 38 assaulted, harassed or threatened across the country in 2012, says the annual report on free speech violations by Free Speech Hub of the media watch website, Hoot.org. Journalist Chandrika Rai, his wife and their two teenage children were murdered at their residence in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria distict in February....

-The Indian Express The growing influence on policy issues of activists who call themselves “civil society” is a worrying trend and needs to be objectively analysed. Two recent policy pronouncements will illustrate how government seems to be yielding to their pressure. It is well established that absenteeism of teachers and poor quality of outcomes in government schools is the main factor behind the popularity of private schools with poor infrastructure that cater...

-The Hindu Hyderabad: Self-help groups might have resulted in significant upward movement in the status and role of women in society, but a recent study reveals existence of casteism in the SHGs. Conducted across eight States covering a sample of over 1,942 groups, the study indicated that caste played a dominant role in the formation and functions of the SHGs. At least 29 per cent of the groups surveyed reported different etiquette...

-Economic and Political Weekly The recent debate on the acceptability of foreign direct investment in the retail sector in India has been mostly political. It is necessary to look into the pros and cons of FDI in retail from a purely economic point of view. This article identifi es the safeguards that should be undertaken before allowing giant multinationals to function in the country. Abhirup Sarkar (abhirup@isical.ac.in) is with the Indian Statistical...

-Economic and Political Weekly We support cash transfers such as old-age pensions, widow pensions, maternity entitlements and scholarships. However, we oppose the government’s plan for accelerated mass conversion of welfare schemes to Unique Identification Authority (UID)-driven cash transfers. This plan could cause havoc and massive social exclusion. We demand the following: (1) No replacement of food with cash under the public distribution system (PDS). (2) Immediate enactment of a comprehensive National Food Security...