Must Read News Articles – January 13

The Hindu

Front Page / NATIONAL

Niti Aayog calls for review of RTE Act: The Niti Aayog has called for a review of the provisions of the Right To Education Act that stipulate that children who don’t perform well cannot be held back up to class VIII.

Set up mechanism to hear plaints about TV content: SC: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the government to set up, streamline and publicise a complaint redressal mechanism under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act to deal with citizens’ complaints about content telecast or aired by private TV channels and radio.

SC refuses plea on alleged dilution of whistleblower law: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to examine a petition alleging dilution in the Whistleblower Protection Act and seeking interim measures to protect whisteblowers who expose corruption in public administration and governance.

Editorial/OPINION

Strategic partnership. Really?: Bilateral relations coast on diplomatic niceties and joint statements invariably use flowery language to describe relationships in the best possible terms.

Surviving the drought: Tamil Nadu’s move to declare a drought, ironically on the eve of the harvest festival of Pongal, is an important step to address the agrarian distress that is sweeping the State following poor rainfall during the northeast monsoon.

The city’s bleak future: Over the past decade, despite flow of funds for infrastructure, most Indian cities have been unable to expand road networks and metro lines in keeping with the growing demand.

ECONOMY

Industrial output at 4-year high of 5.7% : Industrial output expanded by 5.7% , the fastest pace in more than four years, largely on account of a low base effect.

‘Infrastructure spending must be raised in budget’: The Centre should prioritise measures that will boost spending on infrastructure creation to shore up demand in the upcoming budget.

Indian Express

Project Of Defiance: Governments are making Aadhaar mandatory in contravention of court orders.

Give credit: RBI governor is right — structural reform and public expenditure are key to growth.

Live Mint

How to make publicly-funded elections a reality: The MPLAD and MLALAD schemes should be discontinued. The money saved should be used for public funding of elections.

Improving India’s scientific capabilities: Making India a top destination for science and technology will require getting the basics right.