Civil society groups and organisations on Tuesday condemned attempts to malign co-chairman of the Lokpal Bill joint drafting committee Shanti Bhushan and its member Prashant Bhushan. Expressing “full solidarity,” the organisations said they would oppose all efforts to sideline the central issue of establishing a strong and effective mechanism to tackle endemic corruption in the country. Describing Mr. Shanti Bhushan as “a tireless defender of civil liberties and the rule of law,”...

Parents and educationists are concerned over posting of several primary school teachers in junior high schools, high schools and higher secondary schools in the four valley districts of Manipur. Students have complained that these teachers could not handle any subject. Chief Minister Okram Ibobi, who is in charge of education, has said the government will soon appoint an additional 1,300 primary and 600 graduate teachers. The selection test for teachers will...

South Asia continues to have the largest concentrations of poor rural populations despite the fact that the wider Asia-Pacific region has made major strides in combating poverty, a United Nations agency said today, stressing that agriculture is key to poverty alleviation. The study by the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), entitled Agriculture – Pathways to Prosperity in Asia and the Pacific, shows that rural poverty rates have dropped only...

After winning the Audience Choice Award at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), I Am Kalam, a film directed by Nila Madhab Panda and produced by Smile Foundation on a child's struggle to get an education against all odds, is reportedly headed to the Buckingham Palace. Prince Charles has expressed an interest in watching the movie and has requested a special screening, a statement said. Gulshan Grover, who acts in...

Directs Centre to frame rehabilitation scheme for rescued children ‘Issue suitable notifications within two months to prohibit employment of children in circuses' Instances of children being forcefully detained, sometimes under extreme inhuman conditions The Supreme Court on Monday banned the employment of children in circuses and directed the Union government to take immediate steps to rescue those engaged in such employment. A Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and A.K. Patnaik, passing orders on a...