-The Times of India PATNA: At least 400 women and adolescent girls in Bihar would have escaped rape in 2012 had the state government provided toilets to all the households in the state under the Centre-sponsored Total Sanitation Scheme (TSC), now christened Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA). That's official - sort of. According to police records, rape cases averaged 980-odd every year in Bihar between 2006 and 2011. In the year just gone...

-The Indian Express Lucknow: Nearly 3,000 new bank branches will be set up in rural areas of the state till 2014. Reserve Bank of India Governor D Subbarao assured CM Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday that the villages selected under Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Samagra Gram Vikas Scheme will be given preference for opening new branches.   Subbarao met the CM at his residence in Lucknow. The chief minister pointed out that on the basis...

-The Hindu Hyderabad: Self-help groups might have resulted in significant upward movement in the status and role of women in society, but a recent study reveals existence of casteism in the SHGs. Conducted across eight States covering a sample of over 1,942 groups, the study indicated that caste played a dominant role in the formation and functions of the SHGs. At least 29 per cent of the groups surveyed reported different etiquette...

-Frontline THE newly christened Right to Fair Compensation in Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill, 2012, which was due to be passed in the Lok Sabha with amendments, has been deferred to the Budget session. Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh spoke to Frontline on the present status of the Bill and the debate on it within Parliament and outside. Excerpts from the interview: * What were the reasons for the...

-PTI The retail sector, where the government permitted foreign direct investment in multi-brand, courted controversies during the year with several opposition parties making it a political issue in Parliament. Even before its entry into multi-brand retail, the global chain Wal-Mart was grappling with various issues, including spending money in the US on lobbying for entry into India. Adding action to the drama was Swedish furniture chain IKEA's hectic bargaining with the government over...