National AIDS Control Programme urged to move beyond medicine-centric approach The government programmes for children suffering from HIV/AIDS should move from medicine-centric approach to include nutrition and preventive care, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has recommended. In its recently released report ‘Rights and entitlements of children affected and infected by HIV/AIDS 2010-11’, the organisation also advocated provisions for issuing BPL cards to children who have lost their...

India will be one of the youngest nations by 2020 and this changing demographic condition, while providing great opportunities, could pose some challenges too, the Economic Survey 2011-12 has said. India is passing through a phase of unprecedented demographic changes, wherein the proportion of the working age population (15-59 years) is likely to rise from around 58 per cent in 2001 to over 64 per cent by 2021, according to the...

The Centre is planning a few amendments to key education reform bills whose legislative progress has been stalled by opposition to several of their clauses. The Telegraph had reported how private educational institutions had been arguing that the “draconian” bills would make it difficult for new colleges and universities to be opened, and would threaten institutional heads with stringent punishment for minor mishaps. Human resource development ministry sources now say they propose...

A day after Newsline highlighted that the AIIMS administration had not implemented most recommendations of the Sukhadeo Thorat Committee that probed allegations of caste Discrimination on the campus, the institute re-appointed Thorat, a former chairman of the UGC, to evaluate the status of implementation of his suggestions. Sources said that the decision was taken hours after an “informal communication” from the Union Health Ministry to end the agitation by MBBS students. There...

Teachers, forget the word scold if you want to steer clear of trouble — or even jail. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has said no teacher can discriminate or mentally abuse a child based on his/her physical disability, caste, colour, gender or religion. Its new guidelines, which have to be ratified by the human resource development ministry, also forbid teachers from using sarcasm, humiliating adjectives, ridicule based on a...