-The Indian Express Drop in Muslim representation in legislatures is related to the rise of the BJP. Muslim MPs currently occupy 19 seats of the Lok Sabha (or 3.5 per cent of its members), the lowest figure since 1952. Between 1980 and 2014, the representation of Muslim MPs in the lower house of India’s Parliament has diminished by nearly two-third even as the share of Muslims in the population rose during the...

-Hindustan Times The universities need to think of evolving a strategy to hire the best people and offer them attractive salaries to keep them motivated More than half the professorial posts in country’s central universities are vacant. Of the 2,426 sanctioned posts for professors across the central universities, 1,301 have not been filled, reveals data provided by human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar in the Lok Sabha. The lacuna caused by faculty...

-PTI New Delhi: India’s milk production is estimated to have increased by 6.6 per cent to 176.35 million tonnes during the last financial year. “Milk production in the country is 165.4 million tonnes during 2016-17 and 176.35 million tonnes (provisional) during 2017-18,” Minister of State for Agriculture Krishna Raj has said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. She also informed that the projected milk production by 2021-22 is 254.5 million...

-The Hindu The amendment to the Right to Education Act will only undermine its intent The legislation to amend the Right to Education Act to give States the power to detain students who fail an examination in Class 5 or 8 is a negative measure. Although many States want such a change, the amendment passed by the Lok Sabha goes against the view of many educationists, who argue that it would weaken...

-Hindustan Times In India, it’s difficult to find accurate estimates of campaign spending. Research also shows that illicit funds are important in funding elections in the country. Despite constant chatter about the massive (and rising) costs of election campaigns in India, there is a dearth of credible data on the actual costs, the sources of support for candidates, and the implications of campaign costs on governance between elections. However, newly available survey data...