Though Mother's Day is celebrated across the world to honour mothers and motherhood, a number of women (mothers) in rural areas and urban slums are bound to face hardships and neglect. Even after decades of independence, rural women continue to be in a state of neglect in Naugarh block of Chandauli district. Gender bias, lack of education, excessive responsibility, lack of recognition, conservative attitude of society and lack of awareness...

Child labourers may be declining in sheer numbers yet more children are at work in the Asia-Pacific region than the rest of the world combined. A global report has noted that while there was a 26% decline in the number of children employed (between the age group of 5-14 years) from 122.3 million to 96.4 million across the world, but in absolute terms, Asia-Pacific region had the most child labourers...

At a time when the world celebrates Mother's Day, it turns out that India scores poorly among the middle-income countries when it comes to health care and well-being of mothers. The country is ranked 73 in the list of 77 nations rated for the "best place to be a mother", according to a report by child rights organisation 'Save the Children'. What is more shocking in the 'State of the...

Until two years ago, Vimla had never even considered stepping out of her house for work. Women in her part of the world didn’t work. Now, she doesn’t just work, but also operates a bank account, participates in household decisions, and is learning two of the Rs (reading and writing). The difference is the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) that was launched in Vimla’s village in 2008....

Politics runs the risk of being reduced to the art of the passable — it has to be approved by the legislature, by the omniscient television anchors, by sulking editorial writers forced to cede ground to the TV anchors, and, most crucially , by Sonia Gandhi. The food security Bill was drafted for Ms Gandhi’s favour and has been shafted by her displeasure. Food security, hostage, in any case, to...