-The Hindu Madurai (Tamil Nadu): Following a wane in farming activities - the only means of livelihood for a large number of villagers - owing to failure of rain and other intangible reasons, women in rural areas have sought refuge in self-help groups (SHGs) for income generation. There is a proliferation of women SHGs in villages across Madurai district. They get help from non-governmental organisations (NGO) and National Bank of Agriculture and...

-Down to Earth More than 200 people in 14 villages near Roro hill in Jharkhand are dying slowly because of an abandoned asbestos mine During a film shoot at the beautiful Roro hill in Jharkhand's Chaibasa district, the villain takes out his gun to kill a young man. The moment he shoots, onlooker Rango Deogam bursts into laughter and yells at the camera crew, "You are shooting a death scene on the...

-The Hindu Computers are dumped in a corner, with no repairs or instructors: principal Hyderabad: Thousands of students in government-managed schools in the city continue to be deprived of computer education. The reason: computers remain mere show pieces at these institutions for want of minor repairs and lack of instructors. All this when many private schools, including unrecognised ones, are alluring students by offering free computer studies, a fact that officials themselves admit. The...

-The Hindustan Times Rubina appears much older than the 40 years she admits to. She does not look you in the eye; she is hardly audible, and often trembles. Her hut, on the outskirts of Guhana village in Haryana's Mewat district, is surrounded by garbage heaps and excreta. There is no water or electricity and the hut is filled with acrid smoke from the cooking fire. "This is how our stories...

-Live Mint India Philanthropy Report 2014 by Bain and Dasra says lack of funds will lead to more deaths of children Mumbai: India's child mortality rate may worsen despite the government's efforts to lower it because of a dearth of funding, according to the India Philanthropy Report 2014 by business consulting company Bain and Co. and Dasra, a philanthropic foundation, to be released on Friday. The lack of a comprehensive ecosystem of...