Carry red chilli spray to feel safe in Delhi, a doctor and her 28 friends are telling women.Through camps in Colleges and neighbourhoods, the group has over the past fortnight been spreading awareness about the use of chilli powder as a weapon of self-defence.“Carry a pack of red chillies in the bag and blind an assailant,” said Seema Malik, a doctor who has launched the Mirchi Jhonk campaign, possibly inspired...

The Bengal government could have ensured a monthly scholarship of Rs 500 for nearly 22,000 poor schoolchildren in the state over the past three years, without any damage to its own pocket. Instead, it chose to help just about 3,000 get the scholarship.The National Means-Cum-Merit Scholarship, launched in 2008-09, looks to benefit about one lakh Class IX students every year. The State Bank of India pays the entire sum, which...

The government on Tuesday introduced in the Lok Sabha a bill aimed at preventing sexual harassment of women at workplace in various forms, including implied or overt promise of preferential treatment or threat or interference in her work through intimidation. The Protection of Women Against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill, 2010, provides for mandatory setting up an internal committee by a company or any other institute to probe a written...

Heavy rains lashed the southern Tamil Nadu and Chennai claiming 30 more lives in the last three days. The death toll went up to 181 since October. Officials said most of the deaths were caused by wall collapses, floods, lightning and electrocution. Standing crops on more than 58,000 hectares have been spoilt and the damage to buildings, bridges and roads is to the tune of Rs 800 crore. Tamil Nadu...

The much-awaited Bill on sexual harassment at workplaces gets the Cabinet nod for presentation in Parliament. ON November 4, the Union Cabinet gave the go-ahead for the enactment of a law on protection of women from sexual harassment at the workplace. Titled Protection of Women against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill, 2010, the draft law is basically a new avatar of the ones prepared in 2004. This development has been...