-The Hindu     ‘Crorepati'-politicians wear their wealth like a badge of honour Bangalore: With the new breed of "crorepati"-politicians wearing their wealth like a badge of honour, the old slogans of "Garibi Hatao" (remove poverty) have become passé. The rise in the prominence of moneybags from real estate, the private education sector, and industry in the city's political landscape has not only deflected social issues but it has also changed the benchmark for a...

-The Times of India AHMEDABAD: Many public authorities in the state neglect record keeping and maintenance and there was a need to change the mindset of the establishment at the local self government, theGujarat Information Commission (GIC) has observed. The GIC, in its annual report for the year 2011-12, has stated every public authority should maintain all records in proper format and even suggested that computerization of the data should be done...

KEY TRENDS   • According to National Sample Survey report no. 583: Persons with Disabilities in India, the percentage of persons with disability who received aid/help from Government was 21.8 percent, 1.8 percent received aid/help from organisation other than Government and another 76.4 percent did not receive aid/ help *8   • As per National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4), the Under-five Mortality Rate (U5MR) was 57.2 per 1,000 live births (for the non-STs it was 38.5)...

-The Times of India It is universally recognised that for ensuring people's participation in governance and holistic development, the best instrumentality is local government. So when Parliament passed the 73rd Constitution Amendment Bill on December 23, 1992 to enshrine the essential features of panchayats in the Constitution, this was hailed as historic. But where do our panchayats stand 20 years after becoming institutions of self-government? A big issue before the founders of...

-Tehelka With 65 percent of the population below the age of 35, India boasts of an unparalleled generational dividend, but are we turning this potential into a disaster? Avalok Langer spots a ticking time bomb Nutrition & Health* 40% of children in India are malnourished 43% of children in the age group of 12-23 months receive full immunisation 48%+ of children are underweight 50%+ of all deaths under age 5 are related to malnutrition 45% of children...