Issues like nutrition and welfare of disadvantaged sections are likely to be in focus when the National Advisory Council discusses the food security bill in its next meeting July 1, a member of the council said Monday. 'The welfare of the deprived sections needs to be addressed in the bill,' NAC member and social activist Harsh Mander said Monday. Headed by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the recently...

Over 9000 child Labourers throughout 11 district headquarters of Nagaland work in various sectors for about 16 hours a day without proper accommodation, food and education. According to a survey conducted by the Nagaland government’s Labour Department, the report was revealed by Joint Labour Commissioner of Nagaland Er Nungshiyanger Aier during a programme held at Dimapur to mark the ‘World Day against Child Labour’ yesterday. He greeted the youth volunteers for taking...

With global efforts to end child labour showing mixed results, United Nations agencies are urging greater action to achieve the goal of eliminating the scourge by 2016. The latest report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) says that if current trends continue, the 2016 target will not be reached and a renewed push to end child labour is urgently needed. As millions of people around the world focus their attention...

While the landmark Right to Education Act takes the promise of primary education to more than eight million children, there are still many lacunae on the ground. But, as the Shiksha Adhikar Yatra, conducted by Dalit organisations in UP and Rajasthan showed, citizens now have the tools to demand and receive effective governance.  The landmark right to information act has made a huge impact at the local level on the...

Facing an acute shortage of migrant Labourers for paddy plantation, the peasants of Punjab Thursday demanded to run special rains from Bihar to enable Labourers reach Punjab. The paddy season in Punjab has started today. However the paddy plantation is expected to be delayed due to shortage of farm hands. Thousands of Labourers reach Punjab every year for paddy plantation to make fast buck. The decline in migrant Labourers has been...