Except for the Left parties, none of the major political parties have given importance to land reforms and problems of landless people during the elections. The Janata Dal(U) and the RJD-LJP are silent on land reforms. In their manifestoes in the previous elections, they had devoted some space to declare their dedication to the problem of land reforms. According to the official sources, the last action of distribution of surplus land was...

Lancet dismisses criticisms levelled at the “rural MBBS,” saying they bear little credibility The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry might still be awaiting “formal” clearance for its much debated Bachelor of Rural Health Care course that aims to create a CADre of healthcare workers for the rural areas, but the Centre has received global appreciation for “trying to find an innovative solution to a deeply entrenched problem which is not...

An ' untouchability fence' that prevented Dalits from using roads in a hamlet near Krishnagiri in western Tamil Nadu was pulled down after it was brought to the notice of the police and revenue authorities. The barbed wire fence put up by non-Dalits around an elementary school at Ittikkal Agaram in Krishnagiri district prevented eight Dalit families of the locality from using an approach road leading out of the village for...

Citi Centre of Financial Literacy, housed in the SEWA-promoted Indian School of Microfinance for Women  (ISMW), plans to train children in rural areas to open bank accounts across the country. The centre also plans to teach children the fundamentals of saving and the utilisation of financial resources. It aims to collaborate with the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance for this initiative. "We are planning to build a rural CADre of...

Bhikhalal Jethva, father of slain RTI activist Amit Jethva who was shot dead in July, today filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court demanding a probe by CBI or any other independent agency into the death of his son. Bhikhalal, in his petition, has alleged that since BJP MP from Junagadh Dinu Solanki was behind the killing of Jethva and independent and impartial investigation was not being done by the...