-The Times of India Delhi has recorded the country's lowest death rate among major states. Around 4.3 people die here per 1,000 population at any given time as against Odisha, which has highest death rate at 8.5. In comparison, Maharashtra recorded a death rate of 6.3 (lower than the national average of 7.1), Tamil Nadu (7.4) and West Bengal (6.2). The Registrar General of India's (RGI) latest death rate data sent to the Union...

-The Hindu This was discovered during an awareness drive in two Jaipur slums recently Jaipur: The daily struggle of slum dwellers for getting basic amenities and the glaring deficiency in the reach of the much-touted urban poverty alleviation schemes as well as other programmes for welfare of widows, disabled people and destitute children were revealed during an awareness drive launched by two voluntary public service institutions in slum colonies here this week. The...

-The Hindu The Supreme Court’s unyielding criticism of the government for not eradicating the practice of manual scavenging was the springboard for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to introduce the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012 in the Lok Sabha on September 3. Welcomed as a panacea for the historically iniquitous, caste-ordained practice of manually handling human waste, the new Bill indicates renewed commitment...

-The Times of India LUCKNOW: In a country where women have served on the country's highest Constitutional posts, the fairer sex is being made to live the Taliban way in Aasra village of Baghpat district of UP, barely 50km from the national capital. The village panchayat has put a total ban on women under 40 years from visiting local markets, using cellphones and being seen in public without their head covered. Ironically,...

Contrary to the claims of the UIDAI, fingerprints are a highly inappropriate tool to uniquely identify individuals. Case 1: “There are nine checks on visa nationals arriving into the U.K. [United Kingdom]. The fingerprint matching check is the most recent. It is the least reliable. It is the least effective in terms of delivering against our requirements….” So stated Brodie Clark, the former head of the United Kingdom Border Force, to a...