It would be great if the enthusiasm on the financial inclusion agenda gets a pause from the frantic do-gooders . Too many people appear to be enthusiastic about serving the poor - and the kindness is killing. Back in 1956, we discovered that cooperatives were a great instrument to reach out to the poor. These were peoples' institutions, local and would be responsive to the problems of their members. A set of...

-PTI The request came from a 10-year-old, but it put the government in a spot of bother. In February, Class VI student Aishwarya Parashar had filed an application under the Right to Information Act to the central public information officer in the Prime Minister’s office seeking a photocopy of the order through which Mahatma Gandhi was declared Father of the Nation. The PMO forwarded the application to the home ministry, which forwarded it...

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought from the Centre the files on 18 mercy petitions, including that of the Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru who is on death row, pending consideration before the President for periods ranging from one to seven years. A Bench of Justices G. S. Singhvi and S. J. Mukhopadhaya called for the records from Additional Solicitor-General Harin Raval after amicus curiae Ram Jethmalani and senior counsel...

To make ends meet and support her family, former national archer Nisha Rani Dutta has been forced to sell her silver bow for a measly Rs.50,000. The 21-year-old archer hails from Pathmada village in Jamshedpur district of Jharkhand and left the sport two years ago due to financial constraints. Her achievements include a silver medal at the 2008 South Asian Championship in Jharkhand, bronze at the 2006 Bangkok Grand Prix and...

Fast-food chains McDonald's and KFC, and packaged food brands like Lay's chips and Maggi noodles reported normal sales this weekend, despite a study on Friday alleging high levels of trans-Fat, sugar and salts in their food on Friday. Analysts say it is natural for consumers of chips, burgers and noodles to ignore Centre for Science and Environment's warning because they know what they are getting into when they consume chips and...