Introduction The phenomenon of disability is one of the pressing problems in the world. According to the projections of international agencies, about 10 per cent of the population are affected with physical, mental, sensory and other forms of impairments and around 75 per cent of the disabled population are concentrated in the rural and inaccessible areas of the developing societies. This data is based on recent studies carried out in various...

A change of strategy for treating patients suffering from tuberculosis has cured 36 million people worldwide and saved up to 8 million lives over the last decade and a half, according to data released today by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO). “Fifteen years of TB investments are bringing visible results in terms of human lives saved,” said Director of the WHO Stop TB Department Mario Raviglione. “Together, national...

On the eve of the historic United Nations climate change gathering in Copenhagen, Denmark, a top official with the world body today expressed confidence that the event will deliver a comprehensive and ambitious new deal. The two-week talks are set to kick off tomorrow in the Danish capital, and by the end of the summit, Governments must adequately respond to the urgent challenge posed by climate change, said Yvo de...

The termination of the proposed social audits of works carried out under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in 16 panchayats -- one each from an equal number of districts -- in Rajasthan this past week has come as a rude shock to the social activists who pioneered the job scheme. Coming as it does from the Congress Government in the NREGS flagship State of Rajasthan, the development has...

It will be 20 per cent of its total land mass At present only 9.5 per cent area is under forest JAIPUR: The desert State of Rajasthan proposes to settle for a modest target of achieving 20 per cent of its total land mass under forests against the 33 per cent envisaged in the National Forest Policy. The figure may appear to be a major climb down but experts here are of...