The anti-corruption movement has enabled the Indian middle class to feel smug about itself. Its members have gone through a vast range of emotions during the last two decades, from self-hatred to self-righteousness. Liberalisation of the economy has created for this class an excitement of many kinds. It has meant the freedom to pursue the quest for wealth without guilt and, at the same time, it has meant feeling set...

A nun from Kerala, known for her decade-long agitation that ensured villagers were adequately compensated before a coal mining company was allowed to begin operations, was murdered near her home in Pakur district last night. Sister Valsa John (53) was dragged out from her rented house in Pachuara village, 60km from the district headquarters, around 10.30pm and attacked by a gang with weapons, resulting in her immediate death, said IG Arun...

With the malaria situation in Madhya Pradesh reaching a critical level as the death toll increasing consistently every day, the BJP government has been slammed by the Opposition parties for its alleged failure to contain the epidemic-like situation and they have demanded removal of State Health Minister Narottam Mishra. Mr. Mishra had incidentally told media persons last week that he was not fully aware of the situation. While the exact state-wide death...

A river of bows and arrows slid through the urbane lanes of Raipur civil lines, coming to a startling stop outside the chief minister's gated and guarded residence in the autumn air of November 1st, the founding day of Chhattisgarh. As the police whisked them away, the tribal protestors told journalists they were asking for the most basic constitutional right: proportional reservation in government jobs. Eleven years ago, the sprawling state...

As in most social sector indicators, Kerala tops the national child rights index, followed by Karnataka. Arunachal Pradesh is the worst performer in protecting the rights of children. Strangely, Kerala's child marriage indicator is the lowest, and the State's performance is far from satisfactory in early childhood care and crimes against children. One point that stands out in the indexing — the first of its kind in the country — is that...