In the end, Gangula Tadangi succumbed to tuberculosis. The Kondh Adivasi’s life could have been saved if he had made it to the hospital on time. But he was in judicial custody at Koraput district jail in southern Odisha for allegedly “waging war against the Indian State”. During his last moments, Tadangi, 25, is said to have whispered something in Kondh. But nobody could make out anything because no one...

The Department of Personnel and Training has made it clear that at present there is no proposal to introduce in Parliament a new Bill, viz SC/ST (Reservation in Posts and Services), though the earlier Bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2008 was later withdrawn. The DoPT stated this in reply to a query raised by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Vichar Manch general secretary R.L. Kain whether the government would come out...

Studying law can go a long way in helping them fight for their rights, but tribals who make 26 per cent of the state’s population barely seem interested in pursuing the subject. If admission figures at the newly opened National University of Studies and Research in Law are anything to go by, only one tribal student has enrolled for the five-year integrated course on BA (Honours)-LLB (Honours), which offers as many...

Often called Chanakya for his political astuteness, Engineer-politician Nitish Kumar blended his secularist ideology with pragmatic politics and combined the development plank with innovative social engineeering equations in Bihar to bask in glory yet again. Doing an encore after today's landslide victory, the 59-year-old chief minister with his trademark kurta pyjama and grey stubble has become RJD strongman Lalu Prasad's nemesis single handedly contributing to the electoral meltdown of RJD-led Secular...

"Inclusiveness" may be the UPA's winning mantra, but a government survey reveals that just 18% households in rural India have access to basis amenities -- drinking water, sanitation and electricity. Urban areas enjoy these facilities in 68% households. While the UPA regained power on its "aam aadmi" plank, the NSSO survey highlights that a vast majority in rural India still lack basic civic amenities. Around 65% of rural households have no sanitation...