Women and impoverished, illiterate tribals fall prey to Madhya Pradesh’s overweening family planning zeal Birth Control 1951 Family planning as a policy is launched in independent India 1978 Rechristened Family Welfare after the emergency 2000 National Population Policy aims at stable population by 2045 2010 Madhya Pradesh launches targeted family planning NPP says sterilisation should be last resort in family planning. *** When Shyam Lal* walked into a primary health centre at Rewa, a dusty little town in...

-Statesman News Service The state food department will set up rice mills on the public-private partnership (PPP) model at 158 blocks of the state. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has initiated the process to avoid any further problem in rice procurement. The crop production was high this year, but due to dearth of rice mills the state food department initially faced problem in the procurement process. State food minister Jyotipriya Mullick said: "We...

-Express News Service The Delhi High Court on Friday quashed criminal proceedings against Yahoo India, summoned with 20 other websites by a magisterial court to face trial for allegedly hosting objectionable content on web pages. Justice Suresh Kait set aside the summons issued to Yahoo, while allowing the plea of the website that the lower court wrongly issued the summons. It, however, said a private complaint, filed by journalist Vinay Rai, against...

Bodies taken away by sweepers, cut into pieces and disposed of in jute bags The bodies of widows who die in government-run shelter homes in Vrindavan are taken away by sweepers at night, cut into pieces, put into jute bags and disposed of as the institutions do not have any provision for a decent funeral. This, too, is done only after the inmates give money to the sweeper! This shocking fact has...

For the first time in the country, the Andhra Pradesh government is launching special courts for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on November 1 to try cases of misappropriation and fraud being committed by staff during its implementation. The special courts can impose a two-year jail term apart from ordering recovery of the amount defrauded by the accused officials if proved guilty. The courts, to be set...