-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Humble sand is today big business. The boom in the construction industry in the last decade has triggered a huge demand for sand, to meet which contractors, with the help of pliant state officials, have begun a dig-load-sell exercise at a frantic pace. The story of illegal loot of sand in this high-stake business is repeated in state after state. TOI spoke to several officials, activists,...
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No proposal to regularise contract workers: Govt
-PTI NEW DELHI: Despite the demand from the trade unions, the government today said there is no proposal to regularise contract workers. "There is no provision of regularisation under the Contract Labour (Regulations and Abolitions) Act 1970 and therefore, there is no proposal to regularise the contract workers," Minister of State for Labour and Employment K Suresh told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply. He said there are an estimated 18.44 lakh...
More »Food, by all means -Deepak Pental
-The Indian Express Why are we reticent about using techno-industrial solutions to reduce malnutrition? The death of several children from consuming a toxic midday meal in Bihar evoked a great sense of outrage. But this outrage will, in all probability, soon die down. Yet, this tragedy, as many reports show, is the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it lies unseen a story of poor service delivery and a lack of commitment. India...
More »Detroit is broke, Indian cities limping too -Surojit Gupta
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Drive to any Indian city. Chances are you will wade into chaotic traffic and roads full of potholes. You'll see choked drains, overflowing and smelly bins and streetlights that don't work. The reason for the mess isn't difficult to unravel. Most of our municipal bodies are cash strapped, unable to take care of the city's needs. The workforce is poor. Given the indifferent reputation of urban...
More »NC Saxena, Food Commissioner appointed by the SC in the Right to Food case interviewed by Sreelatha Menon
-The Business Standard The mid-day meal scheme cannot be blamed for the Chapra incident. It is a question of professionalising the administration and everyone doing his duty. N C Saxena, Food Commissioner appointed by the Supreme Court in the Right to Food case tells Sreelatha Menon.Edited excerpts: * Can the mid-day meal tragedy in Chapra be blamed on the decision to have separate kitchens for each school without a monitoring mechanism? The monitoring...
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