The massive Dalit conglomeration at Shivaji Park for the 55th death anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar mirrored the pragmatic approach to life with the GenerationNext stressing on economic empowerment. “I am no longer a prisoner of communal and secular politics. What is weighing on my mind is economic empowerment. Even our peers are less nagging and allow us political independence,” said 18-year-old Kishore Gaikwad. Gaikwad and 20 others from Nashik made the...

-The Times of India   Fifty-one tigers have died in different states of India between January and December 5, 2011, according to statistics collated by a prominent wildlife NGO. A tigress shot dead outside Kaziranga Park in Assam on Monday is the latest in that list. Figures provided by Wildlife Protection Society of India show that 14 tigers perished in Uttarakhand, the highest in a single state. Karnataka takes the second place with...

-The Times of India   State government finally seems to be taking the issue of lack of trained staff in public health sector seriously. Doctors posted in rural areas, sub-district hospitals and district hospitals will now be in specialties like paediatrics, emergency services like trauma, and gynaecology at the government medical colleges (GMCs) under specialists. The plan has support of directorate of medical education ( DMER). Public health department had been working...

Farmers are joining India Inc in mind, body and spirit. In a quiet revolution underway across the countryside, growers are setting up companies, replete with balance sheets, professional CEOs, board of directors, and income tax returns.  By pooling together the land and produce of their shareholders, these companies are signing lucrative deals with large retail chains, food companies and exporters keen to establish reliable supply chains. As many as 200 companies...

-The Hindu   The National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) has demanded that the probe into alleged irregularities in Lavasa be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, the Medha Patkar-led organisation also sought an in-depth enquiry into the involvement of public servants and politicians in the “scam.” The NAPM alleged that various rules were bent to grant permission for the multi-crore hill city...