-The Times of India MYSORE: Around 100 rural women from across the district are participating in a two-day 'Panchayat committee mela' which began here on Monday. Panchayat members coming under Mahila Samakhaya Karnataka are attending the mela which is aimed at empowering them so they can be self-reliant by availing schemes and programmes. Series of programmes and lectures are being held to educate them on the facilities provided at the panachayat level....

-The Economic Times The government will roll out a United Nations-assisted livelihood security programme in 10 Naxal-infested districts in a bid to tackle the growing influence of Maoist rebels. The rural development ministry, which has been spearheading the developmental approach to this Left-wing menace, has in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme worked out a five-year plan to make markets work for the poor, ensure that state governments are more responsive...

-The Hindu Act needs urgent amendments in order to plug loopholes in implementation: Union Minister The Union Government will bring in amendments to the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, during the Budget session of Parliament next year. Addressing a National Dalit Adivasi Sammelan at Ramlila Maidan here on Friday, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Kumari Selja said the Act needed urgent amendments in order to plug loopholes in...

-The United Nations The United Nations agency tasked with advancing gender equality today announced a new initiative that will spotlight countries’ commitments to end violence against women and girls, seeking bold action and leadership to galvanize efforts to end the pandemic. “We all must do better to protect women and prevent this pervasive human rights violation,” said the Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equity and the Empowerment of Women...

-The Hindu For any law to truly liberate those trapped in manual scavenging, their numbers must first be established by a comprehensive survey Everybody declares with a full heart, and in a low voice, that it is a national shame. From Manmohan Singh and Pratibha Patil to Mukesh Ambani and Aamir Khan, the last mentioned a new convert to the Dalit cause, there is no dearth of people queuing up to take...