-The Times of India COIMBATORE: The rainfall pattern during the current south-west monsoon is similar to 2009 when the country witnessed a drought. The overall rainfall deficiency has been 21.9% below the LPA ( Long Period Average) till July 18, which is similar to the one witnessed in 2009. This has raised the specter of drought in the country this year, observers tracking the agriculture sector have said. A drought year is...
More »SEARCH RESULT
'Heroine' promos irk anti-tobacco activists
-IANS The newspaper advertisements of Madhur Bhandarkar's upcoming movie "Heroine", that features lead actress Kareena Kapoor with a cigarette on movie sets, have drawn flak for blatant violation of anti-tobacco laws. In a letter written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, NGO Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY) points out violation of law, regulating display of tobacco use in films. "Leading national dailies (on May 23) and online versions of several...
More »Sharp decline in enrolment in government schools
-The Economic Times It is a wake up call for the government and its efforts to improve the quality of schooling through the Right to Education. The number of children enrolled in government primary schools has dropped by 21 lakh between 2009-10 and 2010-11 while there has been an increase of 11 lakh in enrolment in private schools. The biggest decline in government primary school enrollment was in Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand,...
More »Our democracy must empower voters-Prashant Bhushan & Atishi Marlena
-The Hindu Instruments that permit people to vote directly on policy and to initiate legislation can ensure that the citizen’s voice is heard Independent India has been a large-scale experiment in democracy. Unlike many other nations that gained independence from colonial rule but descended into dictatorships and military rule, India has remained a democracy, despite its size and diversity. While we pride ourselves on this achievement, we also need to reflect more...
More »With 54% green cover, Gandhinagar India's tree capital-Himanshu Kaushik
-The Economic Times AHMEDABAD: Gujarat's capital - Gandhinagar - could well be India's tree capital. The latest figures of a census conducted by the state government show that 53.9% of its 5,700-hectare area is covered with trees. Effectively, there are 416 trees for every 100 people in the city. This is more than any other city in the country. The census was conducted by the social forestry department along with various municipal...
More »