While protests from civil society demanding the release of renowned paediatrician and social rights activist Binayak Sen is gathering steam by the day across the country, the international community has also launched an online signature campaign for a petition to be submitted to the President. According to the petition ‘Indian Justice Has Failed Dr. Binayak Sen' posted on www.petitiononline.com, more than 10,300 persons from cities across the world have already signed...

Fifty-five civil society groups from the U.S., the U.K. and Canada have come together to demand the immediate release of jailed human rights activist Binayak Sen, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Chhattisgarh court. They will observe the Martyrs' Day (January 30) as a ‘global day of protest against repression of human rights activists' in India. The coalition has demanded the repeal of draconian laws that give the state arbitrary...

The government intends to give the oldest child welfare programme a fresh lease of life through new technology. It proposes to use mobile phones to monitor its food programme directed at children between the years of 0-6. The ministry of women and child development (WCD) will use mobile phones to monitor the integrated child development scheme (ICDS) and spread awareness on nutrition and sanitation. The issue will be discussed in...

A broad coalition of 55 civil society groups from the US, Britain and Canada are coming together to demand the immediate release of jailed Indian rights activist Binayak Sen, who was recently given a life sentence by a Chhattisgarh court. In a statement, the coalition on Thursday demanded the repeal of alleged 'draconian laws' giving arbitrary power to the State that infringe on the fundamental rights of free speech, and the...

Action plan should be finalised to end scourge before March 2012 A plan of action should be finalised within a month or so with the target of ending the pernicious practice of manual scavenging within the 11th Plan period that ends in March 2012, sources in the Social Justice Ministry said. This was the key outcome of a two-day consultation meeting which concluded here on Tuesday. Jointly organised by the Ministries of Social...