-The Times of India   The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has given an assurance that as a regulator, it is committed to discharging its legal mandate on any anti-competitive behaviour by potential entrants arising from the government's decision to raise the FDI limit to 51% in multi-brand and 100% in single brand retail. This statement is expected to soothe the nervousness of those with genuine concerns about the adverse competitive implications...

-PTI   Ashodaya Samiti, a sex workers' collective in Mysore, has for the first time tied up with foreign universities and institutions to conduct a comprehensive research on improving women's Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) in India and in Africa.  Ashodaya Samiti has joined a consortium consisting of universities and institutions in five countries, of which three are in Africa, to conduct SRH research services through identifying best practices in delivering a combined...

FDI in single-brand retail raised from 51 to 100%   In a bid to remove the impression that UPA-II is suffering from a “decision making paralysis” and kicking off the second generation reforms, the Union Cabinet on Thursday gave its approval for 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail and 100 per cent FDI in single-brand retail. The decision is likely to clear the decks for the entry of foreign...

We have five million children in the labour market, say official figures. Their actual numbers may be four times as many. As a nation, we have failed each one of them…   Millions of our children still labour today, in factories, farms, kilns, mines, homes and city waste dumps, when they should be in school or in a playground. We profoundly fail these children, collectively depriving them of education, play, rest, healthy...

Social activists up in arms against proposed reforms; impact on procurement feared   The Union Government's new move to give primacy in the revised draft of the National Food Security Bill, 2011, to controversial schemes like cash transfers and issuance of food coupons to identified public distribution system beneficiaries in lieu of foodgrain entitlements has got social activists up in arms. The scheme was introduced under ‘Schedule II' in the initial draft of...