A recent statistical study by Indian researchers suggest that the MNREGA program in rural Andhra Pradesh might be having a positive effect on school enrolment and grades by improving the bargaining power of women within their household, as a consequence of earning wages in the rural job security program. The study is based on data from rural households in 5 districts in Andhra Pradesh and comprised of 3006 children, comparing...

-The Indian Express Mumbai: If a sample study conducted by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, is anything to go by, schools in Maharashtra have failed to bridge the caste divide between students. The study found that more 60 per cent of standards VII and IX students at Talsar village in Ratnagiri district want to make same-caste friends, while 40.5 per cent are against inter-caste marriage. Further, 35.7 per cent of students...

-The Hindu Business Line   Arsenic and fluoride contaminated water has condemned millions to live wasted lives in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Business Line visited several villages in the affected regions for this special report by A. Srinivas. Sixty-nine-year-old Renubala Ari of Deganga village in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district is counting her last days. But it is not her death that worries her. Blind in both eyes and with painful...

-NDTV April 15, Gandhi Nagar, Delhi: A five-year-old girl is raped by two sexual predators, both young adults The shocking gang-rape has raised many questions. Where are the perpetrators of rape coming from? What makes them commit rape? To prevent sexual abuse and sexual violence against children, understanding the minds of the sex offenders is of utmost importance. Experts in the field of mental health and child abuse say perpetrators are like any of...

-The Hindu Allahabad: Almost two months have passed since the largest human gathering, the Maha Kumbh Mela, concluded here, registering a mammoth 100 million devotees over 55 days. Huge banners and hoardings welcomed visitors to an eco-friendly, ‘Green Kumbh,' spread this time over an extensive 4,000 acres. While the Uttar Pradesh government receives accolades for its management of the mega event - most recently through a presentation invite by Harvard University...