A 'savage preference for males' leads to the killing of 7 lakh girls by their parents in the mother's womb each year in India, according to a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member. NHRC member Satyabrata Pal also said that 25 percent of the children who see the light of day are underweight at birth, and 1.72 million children die before they turn one. 'The UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) fears 2,000...
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High Price for India’s Information Law by Lydia Polgreen
Amit Jethwa had just left his lawyer’s office after discussing a lawsuit he had filed to stop an illicit limestone quarry with ties to powerful local politicians. That is when the assassins struck, speeding out of the darkness on a roaring motorbike, pistols blazing. He died on the spot, blood pouring from his mouth and nose. He was 38. Mr. Jethwa was one of millions of Indians who had embraced...
More »RTI activist alleges threat by Goa minister, police
An RTI activist Monday filed a complaint alleging that a police official at the behest of the state home minister had threatened him and other activists to delete a crucial name 'Roy' from his criminal complaint against officials and politicians involved in the drug mafia nexus case. Kashinath Shetye, who has in the past succeeded in using the RTI act to expose systemic corruption over the last two years, in his...
More »‘Six per cent girls in rural India still out of school'
About 6 per cent of girls in the 11-14 age group in rural India are still out of school, according to findings of the Annual Status of Education Report-2010 facilitated by the non-government organisation Pratham. This percentage is lesser than the 2009 figure of 6.8 per cent. The report, which is the largest annual survey of children in rural India, was released by Vice-President Hamid Ansari here. Mr. Ansari said that...
More »RTE Act led to rise in enrolment, but no change in education quality by Prashant K Nanda
Painting a grim picture of the standard of education in Indian schools, a report on Friday disclosed that half the students in class V cannot read class II texts. The report, released by vice-president Hamid Ansari in the Capital, said that in spite of the Right to Education (RTE) Act roll-out in April, ground realities have not changed much. The nationwide survey found that though enrolment has increased, the role of...
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