Duo told to ensure untreated effluents are not released into river Delhi and Haryana on Sunday agreed to keep their end of the bargain by deciding to take remedial measures for curtailing pollution in the Yamuna. At a meeting presided over by Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh, Chief Ministers of Delhi and Haryana were handed over the to-do list for ensuring that untreated effluents are not released into the...

The district administration on Friday acquainted block and panchayat employees with the provisions of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in a bid to curb unfair practices in the central project. The move has been taken by the administration after Union rural development secretary B K Sinha expressed dissatisfaction over MGNREGS work during his recent visit here. Sinha had visited Bathua village in Chas Block to inquire into...

The visit of Union rural development secretary, B K Sinha, to inquire into the killing of MGNREGS worker Subal Mahto here at Bathua village on Sunday has not only exposed serious irregularities in the schemes but also negligence on part of officials in supervising the work. Sinha s visit seems to have been prompted after Bokaro DC Amitabh Kaushal took action against four persons including two officials in this regard. Kaushal...

The prestigious Harvard University will honour Ela Bhatt, founder of the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), for her "life and work" that has had a "significant impact on society" . Bhatt (77), whose trade union has helped over a million women in India gain access to opportunities for themselves and their families, will be awarded the Radcliffe Institute Medal by Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She would be presented the medal...

CPI (Maoist) leaders have justified the killing of Niyamat Ansari alleging him to be a land broker, at a time when their sympathisers are condemning the murder terming it "brutal". In an interview with the TOI on Saturday, spokesperson for the Bihar Jharkhand North Chattisgarh Special Area Committee (BJNCSAC) Gopal Jee said Ansari was not known to the Maoists as MGNREGA whistle blower but as a middleman between timber mafia...