-The Hindu Concerned over the glaring increase in the number of beggars across all major cities and towns in the country, the Centre is now focussing on preventing begging. To begin with, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has asked the States and Union Territories to inform the Centre about schemes and welfare measures taken by them to check beggary. No information on implementation "Although various State governments and Union Territories have enacted...

-Down to Earth A Rajasthan village has cylindrical houses that help people cope with extreme weather events It is a chilly December evening in Barmer. The average minimum temperature has dropped to 5° Celsius in this sandy district of western Rajasthan, which borders Pakistan. But thanks to his house, Dayam Khan, a Manganiyar, one of Rajasthan's many communities of traditional musicians, does not need an electric heater or a stove to keep...

-Frontline A report by ActionAid and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences highlights the vulnerability and tragic living conditions of thousands of children who take shelter in Mumbai's streets. IN 1988, the acclaimed film-maker Mira Nair made Salaam Bombay!, a poignantly revealing film on street children in Mumbai. The plot revolves around the protagonist, Krishna or "Chaipau", who is kicked out of his home by his mother for having damaged his...

-Outlook   New Delhi: Delhi government today announced that it would be opening 100 new night shelters across the city over the next few days with a view to providing relief to the homeless from the biting cold. Talking about the proposed move, Urban Development Minister Manish Sisodia said the SDMs who had been asked to map the homeless in the city had found 4,018 persons sleeping in the open at 212 locations. "At...

-Outlook New Delhi: Delhi government today announced a series of measures to provide roof to the homeless in biting cold sweeping the city and decided to replace all the night shelters being run from plastic tents with porta cabins within three days. "An order has been passed to replace all night shelters with porta cabins within three days," Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a statement released here. He also directed SDMs to...