-Tehelka Despite the serious toll it takes on women's health, female sterilisation remains the most prevalent form of contraception in India. While memories of the 21 months of Emergency in 1975-77, imposed by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, survives even today in the minds of Indian men as the fear of forced sterilisation, the country's population control policies have shifted over the years since then to target the politically less...

-The Hindu Corruption in India has undergone a qualitative shift from the days of licence Raj to the era of liberalisation. Opportunities for making money have come in handy for politicians, who were also dealing with a new political situation of fragmentation and instability. In the days leading to the 2008 Assembly election in Karnataka, slum-dwellers in Bangalore were startled to see small bundles flying in through their windows at night. The...

-The Business Standard Based on the credit history banks may later decide to extend the amount Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the overdraft facility initially offered by banks will be less than Rs 5,000, the highest under the scheme. Based on credit history, lenders might extend the amount at a later stage. Earlier, the finance ministry had clarified a lower amount might be extended under the overdraft scheme. Under this, on...

-The Business Standard   The Jan Dhan Yojana has a lot of gaps to fill The NDAs financial inclusion programme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, targets poor households unlike similar schemes of the UPA, which focussed on villages. The scheme targets rural and urban unbanked households. That said, the scheme too has its own share of flaws. Misplaced enthusiasm A chat with poor casual workers after the launch of the Yojana gave the impression that...

-The Pioneer Korba/ Raipur (Chhattisgarh): The initiative, such as free distribution of textbooks, uniform, scholarship and Midday meal, taken by Chhattisgarh Government to promote education has enlivened hope of a better future, not only among the children but in their poor parents also who are working hard to make both ends meet. When the students of primary school run in the slums of the city were told by their teachers that they...