-The Hindu   It will reduce interface between officials and people; will provide 20 certificates within 10 minutes: Kiran In a bid to curb corruption by reducing interface between the officials and the common man, the State government will shortly introduce a new and transparent system for providing 20 certificates required by an individual within 10 minutes, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar has said. Speaking at a function organised by Gandhi Global Family and...

National Infrastructure Equity Audit conducted in 125 gram panchayats in five States There is a continued prevalence of deep-rooted caste-based inequity in the contribution and availability of infrastructure and, hence, of the accessibility of services and entitlements, a report has suggested. The Scheduled Castes (SC), the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and minorities do not have access to functional infrastructure facilities as they are ‘merely situated in the general or backward classes habitations,' according...

The Centre is set to make it compulsory that 4% of its annual purchases be made from the units run by dalits and tribals, in what will be its strongest bait for classes which hold the key to political battles at the Centre and states. The 4% purchase quota proposal from ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) is part of the policy that 20% of government procurement be...

-Express News Service   Chief Minister Mayawati today put her weight behind fears that casteist and communal forces were trying to subvert the Constitution in the garb of the Jan Lokpal Bill, and asked the Centre to ensure that the legislation was created “within the framework of the Constitution”, and gave proper representation to SCs, STs, OBCs and religious minorities at all important levels. Addressing a press conference, the Chief Minister added: “The...

A day after the All India Confederation of SC, ST Organisations (AICSO) asked Dalits to keep away from Anna’s agitation, parties identified with Dalit politics dubbed the movement as anti-backward classes and anti-reservation. While the Dalit protest was unfolding at India Gate, a corruption debate in Parliament turned into one on ‘protection of reservations’. In Rajya Sabha, LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan said Hazare’s campaign was raising doubts and concerns among Dalits...