Two correspondents of The Times of India have been recognized for highlighting gender inequities. The Laadli Award, instituted by NGO Population First, for promoting gender sensitivity, has gone to special correspondent Himanshi Dhawan and principal correspondent Sukhbir Siwach. Dhawan received the award for her report highlighting single women being left out from government's flagship scheme, NREGS. Siwach received a special award for consistently Reporting on khaps and their gender bias, while factoring in...

Would you rather buy a necessity like kerosene or food grains at a subsidy or receive an equivalent amount of cash instead? Would you prefer that the government decides your consumption pattern rather than figuring out on your own how to spend your income? One of the “big ticket” reform items in the budget was the announcement that subsidies on kerosene, fertilizers and Liquefied Petroleum Gas and delivery through the Public...

The government has enhanced credit to the agriculture sector by Rs 1 lakh crore in the Budget but the pressure to meet the target has been showing on the bottom lines. All government banks are Reporting an increase in their bad debts on farms loans ranging between 80% and 2000% in the first nine months of 2010-11. State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur reported the highest increase in non-performing assets...

While other Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Ministers are in the limelight for all the wrong reasons, Jayant Patil is trying to make a difference in Maharashtra. Divested of his finance portfolio which went to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Mr. Patil, now Rural Development Minister, has embarked on an ambitious programme of tree plantation and rural sanitation, combined with planned development of villages for the first time. In a whirlwind tour...

The need for the media to take voluntary, not paid, ownership of creating awareness for better participation of voters in the election process was recommended at a roundtable on the “Role of media in building voters' awareness” here on Friday. The recommendation was part of a national consultation on voters' participation organised by the Election Commission (EC). Other roundtables at the consultation pertained to fighting urban apathy, connecting with youth in...