-The Times of India CHANDIGARH: Can an unmarried man demand a bride from a candidate ahead of Lok Sabha elections? You can in Haryana, a state with the lowest sex ratio in the country - 877 women per 1,000 men. An abnormally large number of unmarried men in Haryana has even led to the creation of informal "randa unions". Their slogan is "Bahu dilao-vote pao" (Get us a bride-get our vote) ahead...

-The Hindustan Times Bhopal: Kharauwa, a tiny hamlet 35 km northwest of Bhind district headquarters, looks like any other village in the country from the outside. But look deeper and the difference is apparent: very few female kids play in its lanes and bylanes. Dig deeper and the reason is not very difficult to fathom: Female infanticide and foeticide is rampant in this part of Madhya Pradesh and Bhind is notorious for its...

-The Hindu With the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act coming into effect in 1972, India conveyed a strong message that it cared for the health of pregnant women who wanted to safely terminate their pregnancies. Yet, even four decades later, many women are still unaware that abortion is legal. Even access to safe abortion centres is severely restricted, especially in rural areas. As a result, there is a great...

-The Hindustan Times Bhopal: Kharauwa, a tiny hamlet 35 km northwest of Bhind district headquarters, looks like any other village in the country from the outside. But look deeper and the difference is apparent: very few female kids play in its lanes and bylanes. Dig deeper and the reason is not very difficult to fathom: Female infanticide and foeticide is rampant in this part of Madhya Pradesh and Bhind is notorious for its...

-The Times of India CHANDIGARH: Shedding their image of being indifferent to the idea of women empowerment, a cluster of 20 villages under the Thuakhap of Jind district has banned sex selection and female feticide and announced a fine of Rs 11,000 on violators. The violators would be socially boycotted in case the offence is repeated. According to the khap spokesperson, Jitender Singh Chhattar, the community leaders, in a meeting held on Sunday...