-The Hindu Launched in 2006 by the JD(U)-BJP government at the time, the scheme provided money to all girls who enrolled in Class IX through their schools to buy themselves a cycle. The first independent, scientific evaluation of the impact of Bihar's cycles-for-girls programme has shown that the scheme significantly improved female school enrolment and substantially reduced the gender gap in secondary school enrolment. The study, by Karthik Muralidharan, an economist at...

-The Hindu Every biomedical and health research involving human participants, whether in conventional areas, or in new evolving specialised fields, will have to be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the proposed Biomedical and Health Research Regulation Bill, 2013. Research on human subjects in the specified areas like assisted reproductive technology (ART); organ, tissue and cell therapy; genetic and genomic studies including techniques of genetic engineering and gene therapy; nano medicines;...

-The Indian Express Manual scavenging laws will need to be supported by better sanitation policies. The recent passage of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill by Parliament is a welcome, long-overdue step in the right direction. The bill replaces the outdated and rarely implemented 1993 law, which purported to abolish manual scavenging. It has been passed primarily due to a sustained campaign by thousands of former women...

-PTI NEW DELHI: A whopping 1,121 rape cases were registered in the city in the first eight months of this year, the highest in the last 13 years. Police see this rise in the number of cases as a good sign, saying that more cases are now being reported which was not the case earlier and a number of efforts have been taken to ensure women safety in the city after the...

-PTI   A Bill seeking to prohibit employment of individuals as manual scavengers and providing for rehabilitation of those involved in this work and their families through jobs and other provisions was passed by the Lok Sabha today. Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Kumari Selja moved the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012 in the Lok Sabha. It was passed after a short discussion. The minister said the...