The Rajasthan Budget for 2011-12 will make a special provision for establishment of health sub-centres and primary health centres in the tribal-dominated regions of southern regions in the State, considered remote and geographically difficult to access. State Medical and Health Minister A. A. Khan said at Gainji village in Dungarpur district on Monday that his department's officers would submit the proposals for budgetary allocations at the district level to strengthen the...

Vedanta, Posco and Sindhudurg. The issue is the same — the need for a well-thought-out policy relating to extractive and resource-based industry. The government’s withdrawal of mining permission to Vedanta on the Niyamgiri hills in Orissa’s backward Kalahandi district; the divided verdict by the Gupta Committee on the Posco iron ore project; and the environment ministry’s concern on 49 mining licences issued by the Maharashtra government for bauxite and iron...

The United Nations officials from Bonn, Germany, will visit Gumla in the first week of November to take stock of changes that have taken place in villages in this tribal dominated district. Gumla is among the five districts in the state where government of India and UN programme of total village development is underway.   Ever since the district launched its Total Village Development Programme under its model village project in two villages...

Are some tribal groups in Koraput and Mayurbhanj on the brink? The answer seems to be in affirmative if the rate of child mortality among the tribals is any indication. The child mortality rate of the tribals in 1997-98 was 44 but it has surged to over 62 per 1000, says the latest study by Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement in association with the World Health Organisation. The Study has conducted...

The Aadhaar or UID project has grave implications for every Indian. It will enable the government to profile every citizen and track their movements and transactions. There is no guarantee that intimate personal information -- pre-existing illnesses, romantic relationships etc -- won't be shared with other agencies, warns Praful Bidwai. An elaborate charade has begun with the rolling out of the first Aadhaar unique identity numbers in a tribal district of Maharashtra by...