-IANS  Terming India as world's capital for open defecation, Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister Jairam Ramesh Thursday said that 100,000 "bio-toilets" will be installed in about 300 backward gram panchayats in the next two years at a cost of Rs.150 crore. "We are the world's capital for open defecation.  It is a matter of shame, anguish, sorrow, anger," Ramesh said, noting over 60 percent of all open defecation takes place in India. Speaking at...

-The Times of India Even as his drinking water and sanitation department tied up with DRDO on Thursday to set up bio-digestor toilets in 1,000 village panchayats across the country, Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh could not resist taking a couple of jocular swipes at the huge annual funds allocated to the defence ministry. Just the cost of a single Rafale fighter — MoD is finalizing the acquisition of 126 of...

-The Indian Express From Nariman Point to Tirupur, from broking firms to ancillary industries — as a two-part series in this newspaper has illustrated — the economy is seeing a steady contraction in employment opportunities. The economic and social cost is sobering but the UPA should also worry about the political implications. Lakhs of jobs are being lost when India is heading for a general election that could be decided primarily...

Supreme Court wants hazardous waste rules aligned with Basel Convention THE Supreme Court has directed the Centre to ban the import of hazardous waste. While hearing a 17-year-old case, the court also asked the government to amend the existing laws pertaining to toxic waste so that they comply with the Basel Convention, an international treaty that prohibits transboundary movement of toxic waste. India ratified the Convention in 1992. The court gave the...

-The Hindu It is time disability activism embraced language to debunk the myth that disabled people have unique skill sets A loud round of applause for Aamir Khan for bringing together diverse views on disability in his “Satyamev Jayate” programme. Sprinkled with satire and humour, the TV show was a comment about the wider world from the viewpoint of disabled individuals with exceptional achievements. That said, it is important to evaluate what...