The sex ratio in Haryana has dipped again in 2010 after encouraging signs of reversal in 2009, showing that female foeticide is still prevailing across the state. The health department figures for last year show a negative trend in 17 districts in the 0-6 age group. The disclosure has forced the government to do a rethink on policies being framed to arrest the slide. According to figures available till 2010-end,...

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a strong pitch for bringing to an end the policy of implementing Centrally-sponsored schemes in states, saying the Centre should confine itself to broad policy making. "You (Centre) develop policy and broad roadmap. Leave the decision on schemes for states. Stop Centrally-sponsored schemes. You give us task...you decide a target and help and monitor us but why going into minute details?," Kumar asked. Speaking at a...

Given the doubts raised by a section of Chief Ministers, the Centre is planning to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act to curb its misuse. "Our information is that a group of Chief Ministers has approached the Centre for amending the RTI Act. In several cases, it was used to settle personal scores by rival businessmen, builders and politicians," a senior information commissioner told TOI on Wednesday. The information...

This has been a longstanding demand of the people in coastal districts Cabinet discusses the harmful effects of endosulfan Kerala was the first State to ban the insecticide The Karnataka government on Thursday banned the use of endosulfan, an insecticide, with immediate effect. This has been a longstanding demand of the people of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi districts, and reports have it that lobby of manufacturers prevented the introduction of such a...

Social activist Swami Agnivesh established contact with the Maoists late on Thursday after the Orissa government requested him to negotiate the release of abducted Malkangiri district collector RV Krishna. Based on their conversation with Agnivesh, the Maoists extended the deadline for the release of the officer. ( Read: To free Orissa IAS officer, Maoists want 700 in return ) ''I insist Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should now take the initiative and...