Fourteen-year-old gets one crore rupees to fight against child marriage

Aug 26, 2011

Bina Kalindi, a fourteen-year-old girl, has been fighting a battle against child marriage in her village Purulia, West Bengal, for years now. She diligently goes from door to door, spreading awareness and convincing families of the ills of this social evil. She was

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Indian NGOs received Rs 40,000 crore in foreign grants

Aug 24, 2011

Foreign contribution of nearly Rs 40,000 crore has been received by 77,000 NGOs across the country in four years beginning 2005-06. During financial year 2005-06, altogether 18,650 NGOs received Rs 7,889.12 crore, while 19,462 NGOs received Rs 11,111.12 crore in 2006-07, Minister of

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An amicable divorce – Unleashing the power of public money

Aug 24, 2011

The cold hard truth, as we know, is that the mismanagement and over-consumption of natural resources is unsustainable. According to UNEP’s International Resource Panel (IRP), we need to decouple human well-being from resource consumption by linking local or national development strategies to resource

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PM’s letter to Anna Hazare

Aug 23, 2011

As Anna Hazare’s fast entered its eighth day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to him, urging to end the stir. Singh promised that his views on the Lokpal bill would be considered. Here is the exact text of the letter: ‘Over the last

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Violence against women at over 35%; discriminatory attitudes result in under-reporting of crimes

Aug 20, 2011

The latest National Family Health Survey gives out ignominious figures on the extent of violence perpetrated against women in India. In the 15-49 age group, 35.4 per cent of all women and 40 per cent of married women have experienced physical or sexual

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CSR in India: Companies have minimal clarity in terms of choosing projects

Aug 18, 2011

While the government of India is all set to announce the much-debated ‘companies bill’ that will have a clause making spending towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) mandatory, a KPMG survey has revealed that not many companies are prepared for the same. The findings

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Wildlife conservation champion and RTI activist Shehla Masood shot dead

Aug 17, 2011

Avid RTI and anti-corruption activist Shehla Masood was shot dead yesterday by an unidentified gunman in the northern Indian city of Bhopal. The fatal episode happened outside her home as she was just about to drive to an Anna Hazare protest meet. Masood,

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Indian Railways is set to take the green route via LNG

Aug 16, 2011

Indian Railways has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to tap into the potential of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in locomotives, workshops, and factories. This will help Indian Railways to reduce diesel consumption, cut down on CO2, and

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Rantings of a judgemental mind on India’s 64th Independence Day

Aug 15, 2011

When an established cinema actor”and one who hails from one of the ‘first’ ‘Bollywood’ ‘families'”asserts that he will not permit his daughter to join the same industry that has earned him and his family wealth, fame, and adulation (and the attendant by-products), the

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NGOs may stay out of Lokpal ambit: Team Hazare

Aug 12, 2011

Keeping the pressure on to bring the prime minister and the higher judiciary within the ambit of the proposed Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare’s team says that it wants non-government organizations (NGOs) to be kept out of its purview – or at least those that

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