The Gender Hygiene Programme is attempting to change attitude towards menstrual hygiene It involves SHGs manufacturing inexpensive sanitary towels from cotton and tissue paper When women in rural areas are asked to spend Rs.15 on a packet of nine sanitary napkins, they respond by saying they would rather continue to use rags and spend the money on their husbands or children. But the Gender Hygiene Programme (GHP) launched here three years ago is...

Why is India's most socially developed state - and one of the developing world's most advanced regions - an economic laggard? This question about Kerala, known all over the world for its lush landscapes, sun-drenched beaches and idyllic backwaters, has been a subject of intense debate among economists and social scientists. Kerala defies all stereotypes of a "socially backward" Indian state - swathes of people living in abject poverty, men outnumbering...

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora inaugurated the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen LPG Vitarak Yojana as a national scheme for providing liquefied petroleum gas to the rural households at Lachhmangarh in Sikar district of Rajasthan on Sunday. Six dealers were selected for rural locations in the State through draw of lots. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Deora said the Union Government was committed to providing convenient and hygienic cooking fuel to...

YELLING dementedly, seven lawmakers mobbed the chairman of the Indian parliament’s upper house on March 8th and tore at the document, containing the women’s reservation bill, he was reading from. Yet the bill passed the next day, with the two-thirds majority needed to change India’s constitution. With broad political support, including from the Congress party that leads India’s coalition government and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the bill...

Forget the rhetoric, the FM’s left little for core social sectors The Union finance minister’s enthusiasm in marking the roadmap to financial discipline and pushing reforms in Budget 2010 is somehow missing in his proposals for inclusive growth. These proposals lack the required homework—in referring to relevant literature, including some recent government reports, and in making estimates of the required funds—and certainly do not reflect much commitment to inclusive growth. Agriculture—which...