Chidambaram today said he expected the rising civilian, militant and security personnel casualties in Naxalite-affected areas to continue in 2010, the remarks being seen as an indication of the Centre’s resolve to unleash a protracted operation. The Union home minister cited data to argue how “the situation in the states affected by Left-wing extremism continues to be a cause of grave concern”. The Maoist-affected zones, he pointed out, had reported more...

Gender-based disparities have shown a decline in the country in the last decade with the national capital scoring the highest, according to a report by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. There is an overall improvement in the performance on the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) over the decade, both in the all-India score and in the scores achieved by the States and Union Territories, the report titled “Gendering Human Development...

As per the revised guidelines of Integrated Low Cost Sanitation Programme (ILCS) the target for conversion of dry latrines into twin pit pour latrines is by March 2010. Under the revised guidelines proposals received from the States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Jammu & Kashmir were approved for conversion of 2,49,035 dry latrines in to twin pit pour flush latrines during the year 2008-09 and 2009-10 and funds were...

A working group appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has recommended “autonomy to the extent possible” for jammu and kashmir. “The question of autonomy and its demand can be examined in the light of the Kashmir accord or in some other manner or on the basis of some other formula as the present Prime Minister may deem fit and appropriate so as to restore the autonomy to the extent possible,” the...

Very little is known generally about operational NGOs that work closely with people on a daily basis. WHILE a good many people in the country know that the Central and State governments have a number of plans and projects to bring about development – not all of them either well-conceived or well administered – they are much less aware of the part played in the overall development process by non-governmental...