Political parties are sourcing a major chunk of their funds from unidentified donors, according to their income-tax returns. Donors' lists and tax returns filed by the Congress, BJP, NCP and BSP for the past five years show they have not identified those who account for most of their funding. For instance, the Congress collected at least Rs 978 crore through sale of coupons in the five years till 2008-09, for which...

-The Times of India   Twenty thalassemic children from Junagadh have tested HIV positive in the last one year, thanks to the transfusion of infected blood. They are among 100 thalassemic children from Junagadh district who have been coming to the civil hospital there for blood transfusion regularly. The patients arrange for the blood and the hospital Merely does the transfusion. Thalassemia is a blood disorder passed down through families (inherited) in which...

-The Times of India   FarMers along the national highway 8 (NH-8) in the district are up in arms against the land acquisition for the expansion of the highway. The highway is being made into a six-lane highway and land has been acquired around it in the district. The farMers in the district who have been taking up land acquisition issues under the banner of the Ekta Gramin Praja Vichar Manch (EGPVM)...

The Anna Hazare movement demands no activism from its followers, not even a clear understanding of the specific demands. “COMBATING corruption”, like “promoting peace”, can mean anything to anyone; and precisely because of this “fuzziness” it appeals to everyone. Some join the anti-corruption movement because they are against “corporate loot”; others join because they are against the Nehru-Gandhi “dynasty”; and still others join because they oppose the “corrupt practice of...

India is the worst among the six top Asian economies when it comes to the representation of women in the workforce at junior and middle-level positions, according to the Gender Diversity Benchmark for Asia 2011 report. “It performs only slightly better than Japan at senior level positions,” said the report released by Community Business, a non-profit organization focusing on diversity and inclusion in Asia. The report surveyed women at different levels across...