While mass predilections in Bihar are still veering towards the male child, the Nitish Kumar government will be pleased with the provisional Census 2011 data for the State, which has indicated a 20 per cent jump in the State's female literacy rate. As per the report, literacy rates for women in Bihar have soared from 33.12 per cent in 2001 to 53.33 per cent this census year. The State's overall literacy rate...

Assam has the highest number of patients with cancer of the oesophagus, pharynx (or throat), larynx and gallbladder in the country with betel nut and tobacco chewing being the major contributors. According to the latest data available with the population-based cancer registries, Kamrup (metro) has the highest number of patients suffering from cancer of the oesophagus, pharynx and gall bladder against per lakh population while Cachar tops the nationwide list for...

Ignoring the separatists' call for boycott, residents of this south Kashmir block today turned out in numbers to cast votes in the first phase of Panchayat elections, which are being held in Jammu and Kashmir after a gap of 10 years. Men and women turned up in dozens at polling stations earlier than the scheduled 8.00 am start. Polling is being held in eight blocks including Bishnah, Samba and Udhampur in Jammu...

The head of the United Nations population fund today urged Member States and development partners to take quick action to facilitate universal access to reproductive health, the empowerment of women and poverty alleviation. “We need to keep pushing to make universal access to reproductive health a reality,” said Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director of UN Population Fund (UNFPA). “Investing in the health and rights of women and young people is not an...

This is India’s Tahrir square, read one of the tweets soon after the campaign against corruption succeeded last week and forced the government to accept the demands of social activist Anna Hazare to announce a committee for considering a new Lokpal Bill against corruption. After watching widespread public demonstrations in Tunisia, Egypt and other Middle-East countries to rid their countries of dictators, there was a frisson of excitement among our socially...