From Bihar to America, via rickshaw. That’s the feat Irfan Alam has pulled off, winning an invite from President Barack Obama for his work with rickshaw-pullers and proving that Lalu Prasad isn’t the only Bihari worth a toast for his business acumen. The 35-year-old IIM Ahmedabad graduate, who has redesigned and smartened up rickshaws and helped boost the pullers’ earnings and dignity, is one of 79 “unique” entrepreneurs from across the world...

Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Monday said challenges still remained in the electoral system. The real empowerment and participative governance at the third tier of the government was still a work in progress. He expressed the hope that the electoral process at the local self-government level would benefit from coordination and sharing of experiences and resources with the EC. He was addressing the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Election Commission of India. Similarly,...

It was alleged that he spent money on newspaper reports in his favour and did not account for this expenditure  The Election Commission has sought “comments” from Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on allegations that he spent money on “paid news” in his favour in local newspapers and he did not account for this expenditure in his election accounts. Mr. Chavan, who was elected from Bhokar in Nanded district, has been...

Continuing with its campaign against “paid news,” the Editors Guild of India has asked the Election Commission (EC) to take strong action against politicians and mediapersons who violate the disclosure norms of election expenditure with regard to media publicity. Members of the Guild met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Navin Chawla and his colleagues on Friday and submitted a memorandum articulating the demand while expressing concern over the “paid news phenomenon.” They...

A landless labourer dies on Christmas day after going without food for five days. Neither he nor his wife, who was a job card holder under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, knew they could demand work or avail of unemployment benefits as a right It was a death that could have been avoided. Kishen Singh, a 45-year-old landless labourer, died of hunger in Champakheda village in south Rajasthan. What...