-The Times of India CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government has been providing old age pension to 12,000 people, who were below the age of 60 and not eligible for the same, a report released by the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) recently revealed. The beneficiaries received old age pension of Rs 500 between 2011 and December, 2012, when the state government came to know of the scam. The state government grants "old age allowance"...

-Live Mint Indians who live in slums are not very different from those who live elsewhere, in terms of ownership of assets Indians who live in slums are not very different from those who live elsewhere, in terms of their ownership of assets, including consumer products and houses, although they may not have the same access to water and sanitation. The finding, reflected in Census 2011 data that was released on Thursday, reinforces...

-The Times of India COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu government's move to declare Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve drew strong protests from tribal groups and human rights activists, who said the administration has failed to address survival and livelihood issues of over 10,000 traditional forest dwellers in the former Veerappan lair. They said the notification was illegal as it was not issued in conformity with the Forest Rights Act and...

-The Hindu A write-up titled “IIPM: The B-School with a Human Face,” was published in the Delhi edition of The Hindu on September 2, 2012 as part of what was clearly marked as an “Advertisers’ Feature” on the Delhi Book Fair. The material was supplied to our Advertisement Department by representatives of the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM). It was published with the clear understanding on the part of...

Groups from across India gathered in Delhi recently to assess the Forest Rights Act’s journey since 2006. The law is often dubbed as ‘landmark’ because it ended the age-old illegality surrounding communities living in forest areas by entitling them to individual and community land title. It also went beyond the colonial paradigms of the forest bureaucracy to recognise community efforts at protecting and preserving forests. Numerous groups and individuals working...