Bihar is set to become the first state in the country to issue health cards to 3.4 crore children in the age group of 0-14 years. Besides offering OPD facilities and free medicines, the health card, which will be vaild for five years, will also facilitate specialised medical treatment in premier hospitals like AIIMS, PGIMER Chandigarh and SGPGI Lucknow. While some states already have health card schemes for school-going children in...

More than 10,000 tribals in the area covering 15 villages along the Andhra-Orissa border held peace rallies on Friday seeking kidnapped collector Vineel Krishna's release. Though no bandh call was given, normal life was paralysed in tribal-dominated areas on both sides of Andhra-Orissa border as schools, colleges, offices and shops remained closed for the second day in a protest against the kidnapping. Hundreds of tribals in the Balimela reservoir area staged a...

After farmers threatened to commit suicide protesting grant of mining leases in Bichwa and Tekadi villages in Saoner tehsil, two mining officials visited Bichwa to take stock of the situation. TOI on February 17 reported how four affected farmers from Bichwa threatened to commit suicide after forcible acquisition of farm land for dolomite and manganese extraction. Conservationists also said mining activity will pose threat to tiger corridor, especially against the backdrop...

“Can you say access to education is an unreasonable restriction imposed by State?” Providing free and compulsory education is intended to allow all children in the age group 6-14 live with dignity, which is a facet of “right to life' under Article 21 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court said on Thursday. A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar was hearing arguments on petitions...

The Supreme Court today spoke up for a 25 per cent school quota for the underprivileged, asking private schools who have challenged the Right to Education Act on this ground to explain how they were claiming a right to fill all their seats as they pleased. A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia, asked the schools to explain under what law they were claiming the right to decide their...