 | | Indian schools
teachers demand
better salary | | MANAGEMENTS of Indian
schools in Qatar do not do enough
for the well-being of the teaching
staff. They are an under-paid and
over-worked group of professionals,
feel teachers and community
members.
Most teachers in Indian schools
are paid QR2,000-QR2,500 or
even less salary. Many of them
told Qatar Tribune that it is far
too low and affects their selfesteem
and professional dignity... |
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|  |  | | Putin´s Grip on Russia |
 FORTY years ago The Who
recorded "Won´t Get Fooled
Again,´´ with the memorable
lines "Meet the new boss / Same
as the old boss.´´ The song came
to mind with the events in Russia last
weekend.
Despite years of indications that
Vladimir Putin would return as Russia´s
president in 2012 after a four-year
interregnum as prime minister, many
commentators and public officials in
Russia... |
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| |  | | EMPATHY AND
MORAL ACTION |
 WE are surrounded by
people trying to make
the world a better
place. Peace activists
bring enemies together
so they can get to know one another
and feel each other´s pain.
School leaders try to attract a
diverse set of students so each can
understand what it´s like to walk in
the others´ shoes. Religious and
community groups try to cultivate
empathy.
As Steven Pinker... |
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Montek meets PM amid din over poverty data
IANS NEW DELHI PLANNING Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday amid controversy over the panel’s affidavit in the Supreme Court defining poverty line cut-offs which have triggered strong opposition from food rights activists. Ahluwalia is expected to clear the stance of planning commission on the issue at a press conference on Monday. Sources said Ahluwalia, who was on a visit abroad, met the prime minister for the first time since the controversy erupted after an affidavit filed by the panel in Supreme Court last month. The affidavit said that poverty line for urban and rural areas could be provisionally placed at Rs.965 per capita per month (about Rs 32 per day) for urban areas and Rs 781 per capita per month (about Rs 26 per day) for rural areas. Apart from food rights activists, opposition parties had also slammed the government over the affidavit. The number of poor entitled to below poverty line (BPL) benefits, as per the affidavit, has been estimated at 40.74 crore. Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi is also learnt to have expressed his concern over the poverty line cut offs. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni admitted Saturday that there was concern among people on the issue. She said the figures could undergo a change. “There is a certain disquiet in the civil society and some sections. They believe the statistics are perhaps somewhat removed from reality,” she said. Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh had sent a missive to the panel on the issue. National Advisory Council members Aruna Roy and N C Saxena also expressed reservations over the poverty line cut offs. Saxena said that only dogs and animals can live at Rs 32 a day and said that people spending that kind of amount were poorest of the poor. Following the uproar, Ahluwalia said that the affidavit was “factually correct” and it was not a new policy decision but simply a factual explanation given to the apex court on how poverty lines were calculated based on Suresh Tendulkar report.
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