-The Hindu Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh made it clear on Friday that two of his ambitious projects - Umeed for empowerment of women and Himayat for capacity building and employment of youth - would be soon extended to all 143 rural development blocks in Jammu and Kashmir. Buoyed by massive response in the four blocks, two each in Kashmir and Jammu divisions, Mr. Ramesh is now planning dovetailing of the...

-The Economic Times PATNA: Reserving 33% seats for women in Parliament and state legislatures may remain a dream for Congress president Sonia Gandhi but chief minister Nitish Kumar has not only done that in panchayat bodies of Bihar but is set to take the concept to other areas. Women's support for JD(U) had swelled in elections following the reservations, as the fair sex exhibited approval for the progressive legislation. Encouraged by 'lady...

-The Hindu   "It deserves to be thrown into the dustbin" The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the magisterial probe report on the Tarn Taran incident, in which a girl and her father were beaten up by the Punjab police, as it justified the attack on the duo. A Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and Kurian Joseph told Additional Solicitor-General Siddharth Luthra, appearing for the Punjab government, "the report does not have the value...

-PTI In view of unsatisfactory progress by schools in meeting the March 31 RTE deadline, an education forum today indicated moving to court for ensuring legal entitlement under the Act and demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention in the matter. RTE Forum, a platform of national education networks and teachers, among others said they would demand that the Prime Minister convenes a meeting of chief ministers to ensure efficient implementation of...

-The Hindu "Animal behaviour," was the unusual language the Supreme Court deployed recently. The context for the cryptic remarks was the gruesome lathi-charge on protesting teachers, predominantly women, engaged on contract by the Bihar government, and the attacks on a woman who sought police intervention in a case of assault. The police carry a long and ignominious record of resort to indiscriminate force to quell peaceful protesters, which peaked in the...