-Frontline Two draft Bills on the Tribal Sub-Plan and the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan raise hopes of granting these decades-old schemes statutory status and ensuring allocation of funds in the Central and State budgets for their implementation. IN a significant legislative move, the Union government's Ministry of Tribal Affairs released a draft Bill for the implementation of the long-neglected Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP), a special programme mandated by the Planning Commission to benefit the...

-Frontline The tussle within some Central government Ministries over proposed cuts in the budget for rural development schemes has affected a promise made to senior citizens. THEIR wizened faces said it all. Though there was disappointment, there was also a glimmer of hope that their trek to the national capital would not go in vain. For almost a month, senior citizens, most of them poor, had been pouring into New Delhi from...

-The Times of India DEHRADUN: Apparently taking a cue from the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government's recently launched helpline in Delhi for complaints against corrupt officials; the Uttarakhand government has come up with a similar helpline for dealing with illegal mining in the hill state. With this, Uttarakhand has become the only state in the country to have a dedicated helpline for complaints against illegal mining. The Uttarakhand Special Mining Vigilance Force...

-Frontline A report by ActionAid and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences highlights the vulnerability and tragic living conditions of thousands of children who take shelter in Mumbai's streets. IN 1988, the acclaimed film-maker Mira Nair made Salaam Bombay!, a poignantly revealing film on street children in Mumbai. The plot revolves around the protagonist, Krishna or "Chaipau", who is kicked out of his home by his mother for having damaged his...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Delhi Jal Board, which is also headed by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, decided to transfer 800 officials in its water emergencies and water filling points on Monday. Termed as one of the "biggest reshuffles" in the history of the organization, the move came shortly after DJB set up a task force to crack down on tanker mafia. The decision was taken by the new CEO, Vijay...