This article explores the issue of dalits’ inclusion in the media industry. It argues that under-representation of dalits in Indian media leads to an exclusion of news on dalits. [This was presented in the “National Conference on Ethical Issues and Indian Media” held on 26 and 27 November 2010 and in Periyar University, Salem, Tamil Nadu.] [J Balasubramaniam (balumids@gmail.com) is with the Department of Journalism and Science Communication, Madurai Kamaraj University.] The basis...

The Supreme Court has declined permission to a women's organisation for seeking a review of the judgment describing a woman as ‘keep' arguing that such an expression was derogatory to and discriminatory against women on the basis of marital status. In an October 21, 2010 judgment, a Bench of Justices Markandey Katju and T.S. Thakur said: “If a man has a ‘keep' whom he maintains financially and uses mainly for sexual...

Promises action “to allay fears and insecurity Christians are experiencing” Chief Ministers will be asked to deal firmly with anti-Christian violence Promises to act on the Saldanha report on violence against minorities in Karnataka Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured a Christian delegation on Saturday that he was trying to evolve a consensus on granting Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims. He also said he would ask Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram...

They demand comprehensive law which recognises all rights of persons with disabilities A group of persons with disability staged a demonstration here on Wednesday demanding a comprehensive law which recognises all rights of persons with disabilities. They also boycotted the State-level consultation on the working draft for new legislation for Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2011, organised by the National Institute of Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities and the...

If women in rural areas had the same access to land, technology, financial services, education and markets as men, agricultural production could be increased and the number of hungry people reduced by 100-150 million, FAO said today in its 2010-11 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture report. Yields on plots managed by women are lower than those managed by men, the report said. But this is not because women...