An impact assessment report by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) here has come down heavily on the proposed nuclear power plant at Jaitapur in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra stating that the project will have a “huge negative impact on social and environment development” as it is sitting on a high to moderate severity earthquake zone. The TISS findings in Perception Matter- People’s Report- Social Impact Assessment of Jaitapur Madban Nuclear...

NRHM needs to revitalise systems, monitor their functional performance and investigate their impact on the indices of health. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched in 2005 to bring about a dramatic improvement in the health system and health status of people in rural India. It seeks to provide universal access to health care, which is affordable, equitable, and of good quality. It aims at making architectural corrections to basic...

A number of welfare schemes for women launched, says Minister The Laadli girl child welfare scheme has proved to be a big success with 140,006 girls being registered under it in 2009-10 and as many as 17,085 girls receiving the final maturity payment through their bank accounts, Delhi Social Welfare Minister Kiran Walia said here on Tuesday. Speaking about the performance of various social welfare schemes during the year, Prof. Walia said...

With three small children to raise in a dirt-poor village in eastern India’s Bihar state, farm labourer Renu Devi is an unsung rural supermom who shuttles between home and field every day. But the demure 30-year-old mother does not forget to bring her children to the biannual Vitamin A rounds in Bagwanpur Rati, one of the villages in Vaishali district of Bihar. This is because Vitamin A deficiency is a major...

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has described 2010 as a landmark year in Independent India's history in terms of the number of scams. In an editorial in the People's Democracy, party organ, it drew attention to the several disquieting trends that have emerged as a result. The year stood out as one which saw a serious attack on Parliament and the institutions of parliamentary democracy. Apart from the virtual annulling...