-Outlook Gurgaon: Bihar Migrant Resource Centre (BMRC), which seeks to address the needs of migrants in the city, was today inaugurated by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Kumar, who launched it via video-conferencing, asked the state's resident commissioner to promote the initiatives of the centre, which is aimed at reducing the "vulnerability" migrants face and making their stay more rewarding. The centre is an initiative of an independent society, JEEVIKA, which has been...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Acceding to a long standing demand of 28 lakh cook-cum-helpers of midday meal scheme just ahead of general elections, the finance ministry has cleared the HRD ministry's proposal to double their monthly honorarium from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. The decision will cost the government Rs 2,000 crore annually and benefit 28.29 lakh cook-cum-helpers across the country. More than 82% of cook-cum-helpers are women, 25% belong...

-The New Indian Express There are two well-known sayings about statistics. One is that they are like a bikini, for what they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital. Another quote is: lies, damned lies and statistics. Both of them are perhaps applicable to the latest figures released by the Union ministry of health and family welfare, for they show that life expectancy in India has gone up by...

-The Indian Express Social audits should not be judged by state response alone. They create awareness about rights and create engaged citizens. This article is in response to Farzana Afridi's ‘Social audit isn't enough' (IE, January 22). Social audits have been enshrined as one of the transparency and accountability tools in the MGNREGA. Such accountability mechanisms aim to strengthen the otherwise weak institutions of delivery as they engage the beneficiaries in the...

-The Indian Express Most forms of sexual harassment are difficult to define, let alone prove Ask any group of college-going women today to list what they consider sexual harassment and they are likely to come up with a list like the one below: Whistling or hissing, inviting by winking, soliciting or beckoning, writing songs with suggestive words or tunes, using amorous words, grasping and squeezing the wrist, caressing, placing a foot on the...