-The Guardian Inequity such as that symbolised by Antilla, the world's richest home, thwarts poverty reduction – and policymakers must act If you want a glimpse across the yawning chasm that separates the world's super rich from the ultra poor, there's no better place than Mumbai's Altamount Road. Look up and you'll see Antilla, the world's most expensive home. With spectacular ocean views, swimming and gym facilities, and no fewer than three helipads,...

-The Hindu "The main aim of collective farming is to discourage migration from villages and to provide food security to the families" Nearly 200 landless women and widows in eight districts of the State are working under the umbrella of Tamil Nadu Women’s Collective network to do farming and allied activities for the last three years. Interestingly, when vast tracts of lands are being sold off to commercial realtors in the name of...

-PTI Four vagabond children, who were victims of trafficking, drug abuse and shocking sexual exploitation and violence, narrated their tales to J S Verma committee alleging that police personnel used to extort money and even indulge in sexual exploitation of women. The committee has annexed their interview in the report in which the children, whose names have been withheld, claimed that they saw police personnel of a Police Control Room van taking...

-The Hindu Panel for declaring western districts as ‘child right violation zone’ A public hearing on child rights violations in western districts here has identified caste-based discrimination in classrooms as a major reason for rise in the number of school dropouts in six western districts of the State, especially Salem. Dropout among girls, it is found out, has led to the high rate of child marriages. A shocking 13 per cent of children,...

A 42-page study put out in January by Prayas, a noted Pune-based energy analysis group dissects India’s coal sector, raising a range of policy issues that need to be urgently addressed. The mineral forms the basis of over half of India’s, though supply to industry is increasingly an issue, even as the sector is beset with big-ticket corruption and environmental violations. Some of the challenges of the coal sector raised by...