-ENS Economic Bureau At a time when companies such as Kingfisher Airlines and Suzlon Energy have defaulted on bank loans, finance minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday made a strong pitch for individual borrowers with low income, asking banks and financial institutions to not hesitate in giving loans to them. “The poor in India are not bad borrowers. The poor in India are not dishonest borrowers. The poor in India are ethical, honest...

-The Hindu The local community, especially men, have been roped into a project in 22 Maharashtra villages to stop female foeticide and discrimination against the girl child In India, the irony never ceases. While the country venerates several female deities of wealth, learning and valour, it also practises blatant discrimination against the girl child. Going by statistics revealed by the census and various government as well as independent studies, it has been...

-The Times of India Everyone agrees that India needs to deliver social protection to the aam admi; the forthcoming Food Security Bill is one such attempt. Everyone also agrees that the government service delivery pipelines are riddled with leakages and largescale corruption. Direct cash transfers have been proposed as a way to remedy this defective system. However, as could be expected, the debate has become polarised, with one side believing that cash...

-Live Mint There are also ways in which we can help Indian institutions that have come to us seeking access to our technologies Bangalore: A key perception change is emerging in the global pharmaceutical industry on the long-established divide between the so-called generics and innovative business. While the two are still at loggerheads in several developed as well as developing markets, the world’s top drugmakers are reinventing the wheel. Paris-based Sanofi SA,...

-The Times of India In an Important reversal of stand, the Centre has admitted that the Right to Education Act doesn't allow home schooling.  Admitting that the earlier stand was incorrect, the Centre last week urged Delhi high court to permit it to file a fresh affidavit clarifying its stand in respect of home schooling vis-a-vis the RTE Act.  The U-turn by the Centre came on a petition filed by a student who...