-The Times of India NEW DELHI: At a high-level meeting chaired by law minister Kapil Sibal recently, it was proposed to set up a study by an Indian Institute of Management or a reputed law School to evolve a scientific method of performance appraisal for judges so that laggards are not bundled with performing judges, particularly when they are considered for elevation to the higher judiciary. The matter was discussed at a...

-BBC A survey done earlier this year shows that public facilities in the poorest regions of India have steadily expanded, improving the lives of people there, writes development economist Jean Dreze. Once upon a time, not so long ago, public facilities in the poorest districts of India were few and far between. Most people were left to their own devices and they lived in the shadow of hunger, insecurity and exploitation, with no...

-Economic and Political Weekly   While the transformation of rural gender inequalities was not an intended goal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, this study draws on evidence from two villages in western Tamil Nadu to show how the scheme has benefited rural women in particular. Major attractions of the MGNREGA work include local availability through the year, it being perceived as relatively "easy" work with fixed, regular, gender...

-The Hindu     While the definition of rape is now expanded, the new enactment has taken us dangerously in the direction of a sexual security regime than toward more rights A year after the gruesome gang rape and murder of the young woman on the streets of Delhi comes a moment to pause and reflect on the gains and losses that triggered the response to this event and several others involving issues of...

-Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre (PMARC) Please click here to access the interim observation and recommendation of Jury Panel of the Independent People’s Tribunal on the Functioning of the National Human Rights Commission of India. The event took place in School of Social Sciences-1 Auditorium, Jawaharlal Nehru University on 14th, 15th& 16th December 2013. ...