-The Times of India MUMBAI: Around two in five men in India - nearly 40.7% - were found to hold 'rigid and discriminatory' gender views. This segment believes women to be inferior. Such men are very controlling. They tend to dictate whom the wives can meet and do not allow participation in decision-making. Further, men who hold the most rigid views of masculinity are three times more likely to physically abuse their...

-The Business Standard Expenses such as employment guarantees and loan waivers are, in effect, subsidies that are classified differently in government accounts Over the last few years, the government announced many policy initiatives that purportedly help the weaker sections of our society. Schemes initiated under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) or the distribution of free and affordable food items under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) are examples...

-Frontline Mediocre access to health, education and job opportunities but significant political empowerment marks the pattern of women's lives in the subcontinent. The fifth annual gender gap index of the World Economic Form (WEF) finds India occupying the 101st position among 136 countries, way behind Bangladesh at 75 though ahead of Pakistan at 135. The index bases its rankings on its findings regarding how women fare in four areas - health, access...

-The Hindu The government has drawn up plans to launch country's first all women bank - Bharatiya Mahila Bank - on November 19, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. "We have asked the Election Commission for permission. The bank might be as well inaugurated on November 19. All work has been completed. But whether we can do it on November 19, whether we can do it in Delhi...

India's landmark Right to Information Legislation is called the biggest single step since independence to build transparency in governance. However, its remarkable success is owed only to just 0.3 per cent of Indians who file RTI applications. It's anybody's guess as to what would be the impact if even one or two per cent of Indians began to ask tough questions to hold their rulers accountable. It is noteworthy that...