Human Rights: Clean investigation sought in Eelam War; WB unit not educating; AP forum against mining; Officers trained in Karnataka

Dec 27, 2011

India has asked Sri Lanka to develop ‘independent, credible as well as transparent mechanism to investigate allegations of human rights violations that were reported during the end of Eelam War IV. Colombo has also been asked to give a deadline for the presentation

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CSR: Companies failing to spend ‘mandatory’ sum will not be penalized

Dec 23, 2011

The much-talked-about Companies Bill 2011, which has finally been introduced in the Parliament, has strict expenditure and disclosure guidelines for corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of companies. Despite major protests by corporate groups, the bill makes disclosure of CSR spend mandatory for companies

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Companies may not fear CSR Section 135; it is just an ‘oversight clause’

Dec 17, 2011

Addressing a question on how intensely will the new Section 135, which is part of Companies Bill 2011, affect management of companies, ‘union corporate affairs minister Veerappa Moily said, ‘We are not interested in micro-management of a company. It is (section 135) just

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CSR of ports to negate their social and environmental impacts

Dec 7, 2011

In a communiqué to all government-run ports, the shipping ministry said, ‘Considering the economic, social and environmental impact the activities of ports have on the society and the environment, it is felt that the ports should serve the interests of the society by

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Get women on-board for successful CSR initiatives

Nov 22, 2011

In an interesting research, a team from Harvard Business School found that companies with gender-inclusive leadership teams contributed, on average, more charitable funds. The team had examined how corporate leadership and organizational structure influence corporate social responsibility (CSR) by utilizing the most visible

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GAP, Walmart, C&A, H&M raise the ‘child and bonded labour’ flag with their Indian suppliers

Nov 17, 2011

Multinational retailers such as GAP, Walmart, C&A, H&M, Primark, Mothercare and Tesco have instructed their Indian suppliers to stop sourcing raw material from textile mills that employ girls under the so-called Sumangali system, a contractual arrangement that labour watchdogs allege involves unfair practices

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India gets its first-ever Child Rights Index; Kerala and Karnataka rank best

Nov 14, 2011

The Child Rights Index (CRI) published by NGO HAQ: Centre for Child Rights has placed Kerala and Karnataka at the top and Arunachal Pradesh at the bottom in protecting rights of children. The country’s first national child rights index is based on government

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Bellary miners to resume operations, CEC clears them of charges‎

Nov 4, 2011

By the end of November, 24 companies are likely to resume mining in their respective areas as a temporary sanction on their operations has been lifted by the Supreme Court (SC). According to reports, Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has cleared the names of

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Neglected tropical diseases an ongoing threat in South Asia

Nov 2, 2011

A comprehensive report, published in the open-access journal Public Library of Science: Neglected Tropical Diseases, showcases the disproportionately high burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in India and South Asia. These diseases of poverty continue to plague the approximately 1.5 billion people living

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Upgraded rating system for green buildings launched

Oct 21, 2011

Introducing the upgraded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design 2011 (LEED 2011 for India) rating system for green buildings, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Dr Farooq Abdullah made an appeal for developing new technologies and materials at lower prices so that

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