In a crime that is prevalent only in India, greedy husbands and his relatives harass the newly wed bride for getting more dowry, and often kill her in the process. And, very often, she is burnt alive. This horror is therefore calledbride-burning or in official terms, dowry death.  In 2010, there were 8391 reported cases of dowry death in the country. That works out to a shocking one death every hour...

The case in Norway relating to the two Indian children who were removed from their parental home raises critical concerns about what is meant by the concept of “best interest” in matters relating to children. The purported findings of the Norway child welfare services — as claimed by the parents, at any rate — that a four-year-old did not have a separate room, that the children did not have appropriate toys...

India seems to have arrived at the threshold of polio eradication, but should it lower its guard? ON January 13, India achieved what had only two years ago seemed impossible in the immediate term. The country, which, given the epidemiological data in the new millennium, had come to be regarded by health experts around the world as one that would be the last to achieve freedom from polio (poliomyelitis), recorded no...

Farmers across the country are entitled to get Rs 1,080 a quintal (100kg) asminimum support price for paddy. But surprisingly, a team from the Centre that visited Bihar and Uttar Pradesh last week found that theFood Corporation of India (FCI) was paying nearly 30% less. With little procurement taking place in these states, farmers have been left with no option but to go for distress sale. The result: In procurement centres...

Government has decided to blacklist India's moon mission man Madhavan Nair and three other scientists after the former Isro head was held culpable for his role in spectrum worth Rs 15,000 crore being given for Rs 1,000 crore to private firm Devas. Two inquiries ordered by the government concluded that Nair had seriously erred in withholding details of the agreement between Isro's commercial arm Antrix and Devas for use of S-band...