In its performance audit of the Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) carried out in 27 states (except Mizoram) and 7 Union Territories (UTs) during the period 2009-10 to 2013-14, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has observed that the provision of noon meals in public schools could not stop children's enrolment in private schools because quality of education imparted is a major concern among the guardians. (Please check the...
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Big questions for our generation -Barkha Deva
-The Hindu The manner in which crucial laws are being amended will end up eroding rights that have deep consequences on the lives of our children and us as citizens of a thriving democracy. All because the state hasn’t been able to deliver what it was mandated to do. The last few months have seen an alarming trend of crucial laws being amended, or sought to be amended, in a manner that...
More »Swachh Bharat: World Bank approves Rs 10,000-crore loan to support campaign
-PTI As per World Bank statistics, of the 2.4 billion people who lack access to improved sanitation globally, more than 750 million live in India, with 80% living in rural areas. The World Bank has approved a $1.5 billion (nearly Rs 10,036.5 crore) loan for the ambitious Clean India campaign to support the Indian government in its efforts to ensure all citizens in rural areas have access to improved sanitation and...
More »India racing ahead of China when it comes to pollution
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: An Evaluation of the National Air Quality Index (NAQI) data maintained by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) released on Tuesday has revealed that as many as 15 out of the 17 cities that are being monitored fail to meet the ambient air quality standard by a considerable margin. The Evaluation, done by Greenpeace India, also found that infrastructure to monitor air pollution is abysmal...
More »Mehdiganj fights back Coca-Cola’s groundwater overuse
Varanasi, which is known as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency during 2014, has hit the headlines recently due to people's struggle for water rights. Altogether 18 village councils (Gram Panchayats) of Varanasi have written recently to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to stop overexploitation of groundwater by the Coca-Cola bottling plant, which is situated in Mehdiganj (please click here to access their letters). The village councils, which have...
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