The education level among the disabled stands far below that of the general population. Latest data from the Census 2011 confirms this. It shows that only 54.5 percent of the disabled aged seven years or above could read and write with understanding. (Please see table 1). As per the Census 2011, the population of disabled in the country is 2.68 crore, out of which about 1.22 crore are illiterate and 1.46...

-The Hindu Business Line Supplementary nutrition scheme to be standardised New Delhi: The flagship Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), which aims to provide nutritious food to children aged 0-6, is being revamped and may be standardised to address the issue of “high” malnutrition. As per the Global Nutrition Report, 39 per cent of children (0-5 years) in India are stunted, much higher than the global average of 24 per cent. Tackling malnutrition The Women &...

-The Hindu Confining it to just the Ministry of Rural Development would be the most retrograde step in democratic decentralisation in over a quarter century. If, as The Hindu’s exclusive on Wednesday indicates, Prime Minister Narendra Modi were to close down the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, it would confirm one’s worst fears about his government’s hypocritical approach to grass-roots democracy for grass-roots development. This was a lacuna that was evident in the ‘Gujarat...

-PTI All State governments have been asked to link Aadhaar with caste and domicile certificates to be issued to school students, as part of a first-of-its-kind initiative by the Centre. The States have been told to ensure that such certificates are issued within 60 days to the students when they are studying in Class V or VIII. The development assumes significance as there have been complaints of delay in grant of scholarship to...

-The Hindu Argue that proposed amendments to Act will only enable legalising child labour Chennai: Amidst efforts by the Union Labour Ministry to bring in certain amendments to the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 and to allow children below 14 years of age to ‘help’ in family enterprises, activists demand that the government should not pass the bill in Parliament. In the run-up to Anti Child Labour Day on...