Full Coverage: India

30.11.2005 The role of women as producers and providers of food is often overshadowed by their role as care givers. However, in most of the developing countries, including India, large numbers of women are engaged in agriculture- primarily in the production and processing of food.

30.11.2005 Upbeat with the success of the technology mission in enchancing the cotton production, the Indian Society for Cotton Improvement (ISCI) has now expressed concerns over farmers not getting enough remunerative returns to cover the cost of cultivation.

30.11.2005 Barbershops in Jaipur city are doing something more than just haircut. Guess what? They are giving tips to their customers as to how they can prevent themselves from getting the infection.

30.11.2005 The absence of information technology is not limited to rural schools alone. The analysis, presented in the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), said that overall, the percentage of computers at primary schools is as low as 3.95.

29.11.2005 Dozens of Indian civil society organizations have formed a PeopleÂ’s Caravan to lobby with the Indian government against the proposed World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. The PeopleÂ’s Caravan, which is holding a mass awareness campaign all over the country, has already reached millions of Indians through rallies, public meetings and street plays. Rahul Kumar attends a press conference by ActionAid and its allies in New Delhi.

29.11.2005 As a part of its ongoing campaign to impart sex education to the adolescents, the Population Education Cell (PEC) of SCERT has taken up interaction session with parents and other professionals of all walks of life.

29.11.2005 In the last 50 years IndiaÂ’s forests have decreased from 22 to eight per cent while our population has jumped to 1,000 million. The proposed Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Land Rights) Bill 2005 could sound the death-knell of forests as well as the tribals. Professor Vikram Soni takes a close look at the bill and the plight of both - forests and tribals.

29.11.2005 The first women's university of south Punjab formally has started functioning, initially with four disciplines, at the Government College for Women in Multan. In a ceremony held at the girl's college, the university formally launched its post-graduate academic activities for women.

29.11.2005 India is just not about its cities. The real India lives beyond the cities and urban landscapes. We must ask ourselves whether we have even been able to provide roti, kapda aur makan to the teeming millions living in our villages? Why do we ignore the little children in dusty clothes begging at traffic signals in our cities? To that extent, isn’t this slogan of the 70’s still valid in 2005? If India lives in its villages, then it is the responsibility of all of us to make that real India—empowered. Mr. And it needs will power, vision and commitment to achieve that.

29.11.2005 India is just not about its cities. The real India lives beyond the cities and urban landscapes. We must ask ourselves whether we have even been able to provide roti, kapda aur makan to the teeming millions living in our villages? Why do we ignore the little children in dusty clothes begging at traffic signals in our cities? To that extent, isn’t this slogan of the 70’s still valid in 2005? If India lives in its villages, then it is the responsibility of all of us to make that real India—empowered. Mr. Brijmohan Lall Munjall, Chairman, Hero Honda motors Ltd.,challenges to have will power, vision and commitment to achieve that.

29.11.2005 When was it last that you went to a beach in Mumbai and marvelled at the beautiful seafront? Think hard. If the dead fish washing up on the city's beaches are any indication, this might have been a long time back! With effluents from the industries going further and further into the sea, more dead fish are being washed ashore by the day.

29.11.2005 Empowerment basically means to be able to do things on your own. Education is the basic pre-requisite of doing things on your own terms.An educated country has the best chance of thriving. If people are aware of their rights and duties, they can help in nation-building. Education is actually a way of living. India should provide free education to each and every child. Mr Shammi Kapoor addresses these issue in The Indian Express.

29.11.2005 An effort to regulate drug prices in India, through measures “other than price control”, has been wasted. A task force set up under Supreme Court directions to find ways to reduce prices of life-saving drugs, could not come up with many viable solutions.

29.11.2005 Students of Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia in the Capital now have the option of finding out their HIV/AIDS status within the confines of the university clinic where all the data would be kept confidential.

28.11.2005 The right to education bill that will be tabled sometime in the coming year, has the potential to bring about a significant transformation in elementary education in India.It attempts to make effective a child’s right to free and compulsory education by focussing on the state’s obligation to provide schools of “equitable” quality.

28.11.2005 In a move that could shut down one of Coca-Cola's largest bottling plant in India permanently, the Kerala government has notified the area as "over-exploited" where one of Coca-Cola's largest bottling plants is located in southern India. The government seeks to regulate the use of groundwater due to scarcity.

27.11.2005 The Coca-Cola company has been condemned across India for using up vital groundwater needed for agriculture, polluting remaining resources, and instigating dubious legal proceedings against its detractors. A large protest is expected in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh Wednesday.

25.11.2005 More than 55 organisations under the umbrella of Jan Caravan, Peole's Caravan, have decided to hold rally in Indian capital New Delhi on 10th December to draw the attention of the Indian government towards pro-people policies at the forthcoming WTO ministerial to be held in Hong Kong.

25.11.2005 OneWorld South Asia and the Business Community Foundation are organising a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) meeting - CSR in Asia: Where are we and what's ahead? - on December 9-10, 2005 in New Delhi.

25.11.2005 The Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests has allowed two Indian oil companies to carry out offshore drilling on the country's east coast near the state of Orissa. The drilling will be carried out near a marine sanctary and a Ramsar site that harbour the endangered turtle as well as an endangered specie of dolphin.