-DNA The Centre has asked the Madhya Pradesh government to send "on priority basis" its action taken report on alleged corruption to the tune of several crore in works done under its flagship rural employment guarantee scheme. Senior officials in the rural development ministry said the state government has not yet sent its ATR over the series of irregularities pointed out by the ministry. "We are concerned over the irregularities and sought...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Nodal officer to coordinate tribal, child welfare activities in Melghat by Meena Menon
Issues related to transportation of food grains persist in the 293 PDS outlets The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to appoint a nodal officer by May 31 in the Melghat region to coordinate the work of nine departments which, apart from the public distribution system (PDS), are engaged in tribal development and child welfare. This post, meant for an IAS officer, had been lying vacant for more than two...
More »India: Activist Binayak Sen attacks sedition laws
Indian human rights activist Binayak Sen has accused the government of misusing the country's sedition laws "to silence voices of dissent". In an interview with the BBC, he said that the laws were an outdated relic from the country's colonial past. Dr Sen was freed from jail in the state of Chhattisgarh earlier this month. He had been sentenced to life in prison in December for helping Maoist rebels. The government is reportedly...
More »Sex ratio, patriarchy, and ethics by KS Jacob
Patriarchal societies are part of the problem of altered sex ratios, female infanticide and foeticide. This needs to be acknowledged and changed. India's sex ratio, among children aged 0-6 years, is alarming. The ratio has declined from 976 females (for every 1000 males) in 1961 to 914 in 2011. Every national census has documented a decline in the ratio, signalling a ubiquitous trend. Preliminary data from the 2011 census have recorded...
More »Truth in the din of war by Shoma Chaudhury
The search for a lily-white reformer could trip the reform itself. This is a dilemma the Bhushans need to confront THE LEGENDARY samurai have a code of being that is difficult to attain: they must be ready to do battle no matter the odds, they must have no fear of consequence, they must value honour and pride above all else, they must be benevolent and they must have no interest in...
More »