-The Times of India President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the tougher anti-rape bill, bringing into force the new legislation which provides for stringent punishment for rapists and repeat offenders and makes provisions of strict punishment for offences like stalking, voyeurism, disrobing and acid attacks. Presidential assent to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013, came on Tuesday - just two days before the February 3 Ordinance on the issue was...

-The Hindu Natpurwa is a village where women have been forced into prostitution for centuries. And one of them is determined to help the others break free. Round faced, stout and dusky, Chandralekha, at age 15, was the most desired girl among the politicians, policemen and senior members of Eastern Uttar Pradesh’s civil society. “They always wanted plump women,” says Chandralekha, now 51 years old. Chandralekha was pushed into prostitution, by her...

-Frontline How far will the proposed women's bank help marginalised sections when women's SHGs get little support and find it hard even to open accounts in public sector banks? WHILE the recent announcement of a women's bank in the Union Budget has been touted as a progressive measure for the financial inclusion of women, no concrete measures have been forthcoming to make all existing public sector banks sensitive to the needs...

-The Times of India Sparrows have become so rare in the capital that it seems not even Delhi's environment department can identify it correctly. The department's ad campaign on the occasion of World Sparrow Day on Wednesday carried a picture of the Eurasian tree sparrow, which is neither found in Delhi nor in most parts of India, mistaking it for the house sparrow. It was an ironic reflection of the plight of...

-The Pioneer Minister misused Corporate slot to raise funds for family Trust Union Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily could be in the dock for raising funds for his family controlled trust from a corporate giant when he was Corporate Affairs Minister. Moily faces another serious case of conflict of interest as a top official of Reliance Industries is advisor to a company controlled by Moily’s son Harsha Moily. Even earlier, the Minister...