The number of Internet users in rural India will swell to 5.4 million in 2010, translating into a 30 per cent growth, primarily driven by farmers going online to check their e-mail. The number of active Internet users in rural India will swell to 5.4 million in 2010, a growth of 30 per cent from 3.3 million in 2008, according to a research study jointly conducted by the Internet and Mobile...

Investing first in the world’s most disadvantaged children and communities can save millions of lives and help spur progress towards achieving internationally agreed development targets, according to a new study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The agency found that an equity-based approach, focusing on the needs of the most disadvantaged children, can be a cost-effective strategy to reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – eight targets that include slashing...

Kerala has done well in the field of higher education and holds much promise. But further policy initiatives are needed to sustain the momentum and prepare for future challenges. Kerala, almost alone among Indian States, has pursued a consistent and in many ways successful higher education policy. It educates 18 per cent of its young people, double the national average, and has universal literacy. It is worth looking at what might...

Farmers can save about Rs 600 crore over the next five years through mobile broadband-based services which provide them with quick information on market prices and vital crop inputs, says a report. Getting information quickly on best prices and cultivation practises, with special focus on areas like plant protection from diseases and weather-related damage, will help farmers take fast decisions, saving them about Rs600 crore by 2015, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report said. Lack...

The RTI Act needs strengthening, but activists oppose the government's proposals as they suspect its intentions. AN Act is usually amended to address certain concerns that come up during its implementation. However, the beneficiaries of the Right to Information Act, 2005, oppose any amendment to the Act, because they suspect the government's intentions. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) admitted to considering 11 amendments to the Act in a letter to...