SKS Microfinance, India's largest microfinance player, arrived with a bang with its hugely successful IPO in August. However, the recent sacking of its MD and CEO Suresh Gurumani has opened up a pandora's box that is now threatening to expose the ugly underbelly of the sector which, many allege, is teeming with players who are no better than moneylenders but have so far been able to operate under the pious...
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Nine firms selected to provide urban amenities in rural areas
In a first step of its kind, nine private companies have been shortlisted by the Union rural development ministry to develop infrastructure in the rural areas and maintain it for a period of 10 years. The project, envisioned as part of former President A P J Abdul Kalam’s pet scheme, Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA), will see these nine private players undertaking pilot projects in January next year...
More »All You Need To Know...by Arpita Basu and Neha Bhatt
The youth will not take no for an answer. Five years on, the RTI comes of age. At four feet something, Santosh’s energy belies her petite frame. The school dropout was introduced to RTI through activist Arvind Kejriwal, and now, at Parivartan’s Sundar Nagri office, she holds fort, helping others acquire everything from BPL and ration cards to school admissions through RTI. Threats and attacks by local authorities who dubbed her...
More »In Sanskritis, 25% seats for poor by Akshaya Mukul
According to the HRD ministry, the new set of Sanskriti schools across the country being planned by the department of personnel & training (DoPT) will have to give 25% reservation to children of economically weaker sections as per the Right to Education Act. Earlier, DoPT had sought the opinion of the HRD ministry on the proposed Sanskriti schools. The ministry has urged DoPT to spell out if Sanskriti schools are specified...
More »Road safety: a public health challenge by KS Jacob
India's hurried quest for development and its disregard for road safety have resulted in a major public health problem that demands serious thought and action. The high mortality and morbidity associated with road traffic injuries are a major public health challenge worldwide. Every year, road traffic crashes kill an estimated 1.2 million people. The figure for the injured is over 50 million. Significant increases in these estimates are projected over the...
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