-Outlook Sydney: The OECD today said India needs to address its infrastructure shortfalls and pervasive state control in business activities, among other things, to maintain robust growth. In its 'Going for Growth' report, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) called for structural policy reforms to boost growth. "To maintain robust growth, India needs to address its infrastructure shortfalls, pervasive state control in business activities and unequal access to quality education. "It also...

-Reuters   The number of maids has surged by close to 70% from 2001 to 2010, says the ILO New Delhi: Millions of maids working in middle class Indian homes are part of up an informal and "invisible" workforce where they are abused and exploited due to a lack of legislation to protect them, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday. Economic reforms that began in the early 1990s have transformed the...

-Press Information Bureau (Ministry of Women and Child Development) The Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) in the country are part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme which is a centrally sponsored Scheme. At the AWCs, six services namely (i) Supplementary nutrition (ii) Pre-school non-formal education (iii) Nutrition and health Education (iv) Immunization (v) Health check-up and (vi) Referral services are provided for holistic development of 0-6 years of children. Pregnant &...

-The Indian Express Most forms of sexual harassment are difficult to define, let alone prove Ask any group of college-going women today to list what they consider sexual harassment and they are likely to come up with a list like the one below: Whistling or hissing, inviting by winking, soliciting or beckoning, writing songs with suggestive words or tunes, using amorous words, grasping and squeezing the wrist, caressing, placing a foot on the...

-The Hindu Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) is the first of its kind bank in India, meant for women. However, the bank is neither completely run by women, and nor is it exclusively for women. The first CMD of Bharatiya Mahila Bank, Usha Ananthasubramanian, explains to The Hindu the concept of the Bank which is just about two months old. Edited excerpts from the interview: * How is Bharatiya Mahila Bank different from the...