Newspaper Must Read Articles of The Day– 16 May 2015

The Hindu

National: PM’s China Visit

• ‘States will seek bigger role in foreign policy’ – Gujarat CM, accompanying PM to a Chinese forum, says the role of States in foreign policy making will grow  because they will start demanding a bigger role themselves on seeing the benefits.

• 24 agreements inked by India, China – We have signed over 20 agreements, covering diverse areas of cooperation. This shows the depth and maturity of our relationship and the positive direction of our partnership, says PM.

• ‘Support our bid for a permanent UNSC seat’ – China is the only veto-wielding permanent member which is yet to support India’s bid to become a permanent UNSC member.

• India, China to set up hotline between Army HQs – A hotline between the two Army Headquarters would be established to hold crisis-management meetings.

• Modi overrules security fears – “If we want to ease the political situation between the two countries, we would have to know more about each other.” says Prasar Bharati CEO.

National

• 48,000 jobs targeted via rural BPOs – The Govt has finalised a policy for setting up BPO units in small towns and villages, and has approved a national target of 48,000 seats.

• Work begins on emergency response system – The Govt is in the process of setting up the National Emergency Response System  to ensure prompt police response to distress calls from women anywhere in the country.

• Ordinance route not possible for special category: Venkaiah – It would not be possible for taking the ordinance route to give special category status to Andhra Pradesh, says Minister.

• Manipur’s Ngapang revealed to world as new catfish species – Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India have discovered a new species of catfish, Glyptothorax senapatiensis , in Manipur.

• Latest self-driving Google car heading to public streets – Computer-controlled cars can eliminate human error, which is a factor in an estimated 90% of the 1.2 million road deaths that occur worldwide each year, claims Sergey Brin.

• Give priority to updating of citizens register: ULFA – ULFA has demanded that the National Register of Citizens, 1951, be updated on priority to curb the illegal influx of Bangladeshi nationals.

International

• 800 boat migrants rescued off Indonesia – About 800 Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants were rescued off Indonesia.

• Russia: bill to shut ‘undesirable’ NGOs approved – Russia to allow prosecutors to declare foreign and international organisations “undesirable” in Russia and shut them down.

Business

• New age Indians to spur retail market to $1.2 trillion by 2025 – The e-retail market is expected to rise from $5 billion in 2015 to over $130 billion by 2025.

• Taiwan explores biz opportunities in India – Taiwan may be a small country but because of its advanced technology and solid base, it gives tough competition to China.

Opinion-Editorial

• Get real with public sector banks – Governance, management and operational issues of PSBs need to be resolved to secure quick reforms. Instead, the govt is all set to pursue some grand design, argues T. T. Ram Mohan.

• Bring forth the Northeast – The Act East policy must include the vision of local actors in the Northeast who are best equipped to understand their realities, suggests the editorial.

• The dead warriors – How many more bloggers would have to give up their lives before the Bangladesh govt realises that their battle is essentially the same as that for justice for the war crimes of 1971? asks the editorial.

• Right to have a childhood – The Union Cabinet’s approval of  amendments to the Child Labour Act, 1986 raises serious doubts and concerns.

Indian Express

Editorials & Columns

• Hungry For Homework –  Without better quality schooling, attempts to curb child labour cannot go too far, argues Yashodhan Ghorpade.

• In country-sized states – State governments cannot make cities livable. They must give urban areas freedom to manage themselves, writes Neelkanth M.

• A studied move – Govt amendments to the child labour law are pragmatic. But more remains to be done, opines the editorial.

LiveMint

• El Niño warnings – It is now almost certain that El Niño will strike this year.

• Passage of India, Bangladesh border law game changer in South Asia: Veena Sikri – The former Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh on LBA with Bangladesh.