Five years ago, the Prime Minister launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), calling it the single-largest initiative of the government of India for a planned development of our cities. This unique, Rs 50,000-crore (subsequently enhanced to Rs 66,000 crore) programme to be implemented over a seven years from 2005 to 2012 focuses mainly on 65 mission cities with provision kept also for other small towns. While the...
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‘Six per cent girls in rural India still out of school'
About 6 per cent of girls in the 11-14 age group in rural India are still out of school, according to findings of the Annual Status of Education Report-2010 facilitated by the non-government organisation Pratham. This percentage is lesser than the 2009 figure of 6.8 per cent. The report, which is the largest annual survey of children in rural India, was released by Vice-President Hamid Ansari here. Mr. Ansari said that...
More »In India, 96.5% kids go to school
India took another step towards universal elementary education last year, with 96.5% of all children aged 6-14 years being enrolled in schools, an extensive private audit has revealed. NGO Pratham`s Annual Survey of Education Report says the proportion of girls in the age group of 11-14 years too increased to 94.1% although quality of education remained a big concern. The survey, the only private audit of elementary education in the country,...
More »Flexible voices in food cell by Radhika Ramaseshan
Some members of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council are in favour of a “compromise” on the food security bill after a committee appointed by the Prime Minister turned down their key recommendations yesterday. These members, speaking off the record, said they wanted to take the process forward and bring the bill in Parliament. However, this would be subject to the view that Sonia takes on the C. Rangarajan report. The bill,...
More »RTI penalties for delay in information are rarely imposed by Ruhi Tewari
Even five years after the enactment of the pioneering Right to Information Act (RTI), penalties for delays in providing what has been sought under the law are imposed in less than 4% of the cases, an independent audit shows. The Act, which empowers citizens to demand information from the government, provides for the imposition of penalties by the Central or State Information Commission in case of delays without reasonable cause. The landmark...
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