Untouchability hasn’t been banished in all its forms, a meeting of state ministers with the Centre concluded today and expressed anguish at the dismal conviction rate in crimes against Dalits. “Untouchability is gone, but only the face of it, as its definition changes. Banks deny credit to Dalits and this is another form of untouchability,” Union home minister P. Chidambaram said at the specially convened meeting as part of the two-day...

Rising wages in both rural and urban India have contributed to inflation, and managing price levels when wages are rising is key to deriving benefits from higher growth, the Reserve Bank of India has said.  "The pressure on generalised inflation from sustained increase in wage costs has been one important characteristic of the recent high inflation episode. Wage increases for unskilled labourers in rural areas continue to be at a rate...

Accessible curriculum, teacher training a must in schools, say activists Poorva Subramanium is barely 10 years old, but has learnt an important lesson in life — not to trouble her parents when they come out of the schools they have been visiting these days. “It is frustrating. No school wants to admit her. She is good at shapes, colours and can also read,” says her mother, showing her report card from...

Issues raised in reference go beyond those raised in clarificatory petition filed in Supreme Court The cabinet on Tuesday cleared a request by the department of telecommunications (DoT) for a presidential reference on the 2 February Supreme Court judgement cancelling 122 licence allocated to nine companies in January 2008, in an attempt aimed at clarifying seven issues arising from that order. One of the seven involves the allotment of telecom licences between...

-PTI Terming mining as the "greatest threat" faced by the tribal community in last two decades, Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo has asked the youths selected under an ambitious programme to create awareness among the forest dwellers about their constitutional rights over the land.  "Today the greatest threat that has come to the tribals and people living in forest areas is actually the threat of mining," the Minister told the youths...