Though the list of superstitious beliefs is long, often dissolving distinctions of class, caste, religion and education, Karnataka's anti-superstition bill is seen as a big step ahead.
'The biggest challenge and the one that needs immediate attention is massive shortcoming of jobs, leading to rampant migration from the state (almost 4 million Odias migrated!). 'This forces them to work in abysmal and inhumane working conditions.' 'Some are fortunate to come back alive, while some return in coffins.'
The two children, Roshani (12) and Avinash (10), suffered serious injuries in the incident.
Several Assamese-origin students studying in American universities met with Indian embassy officials to deliver a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee on the killing of over 32 Muslims in Assam as a result of election-related violence there. Aziz Haniffa reports
The principal and director of a city school, where a six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted, were arrested as government warned of tough action against managements flouting safety norms for children.
A proposal, which will empower the Juvenile Justice Board to decide whether a juvenile above 16 years involved in heinous crimes such as rape is to be sent to a observation home or tried in a regular court, is learnt have been cleared by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday.
India has said that terror groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba do not "live on love and fresh air", expressing regret that they receive funds despite being slapped with sanctions by the United Nations, as the world body reaffirmed the need to cut the monetary lifeline of terrorists.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said India remains on the side of peace.
Bachchan versus Bachchan... Dev Patel turns director...
Two clerics and four women were among 59 people indicted by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Wednesday for burning alive a Christian couple over alleged desecration of the Quran in Punjab province.
It is alleged that the attackers included a group of men against whom Joshi had filed a complaint on July 16 accusing them of harassing his niece after he had objected to their betting racket in the locality.
A Delhi Police spokesperson said that nearly 500 personnel have tested positive for the deadly virus so far.
The Ranga Reddy Bar Association have decided not to appear for the four accused in the case.
Enraged over the heinous crime, the victim's family blocked the Etah-Farrukhabad road, while opposition parties slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for the 'sudden spurt' in rape cases.
Stranger Things Season 4 is dedicatedly macabre and menacing, its deadly ambitions and volatile tempo keeps the mood edge-of-the-seat, applauds Sukanya Verma.
A FIR has been filed against expelled Congress legislator Atanasio Monserrate.
Hours after the macabre crime, a man wearing the blue robes of the Sikhs' Nihang order appeared before the media, claiming that he had 'punished' the victim for 'desecrating' a holy book.
India has told the UN Security Council that it does not subscribe to the view that women should form part of the military component of peacekeeping missions, emphasising no "useful purpose" will be served by it.
'What if this was my child?' 'My 3 year old, my 8 year old, my 17 year old?' Would I be insular, silent?' 'Would I protect those who I so actively protect now?' asks Preeti D'Mello.
India's Kailash Satyarthi received the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 on Wednesday, sharing it with Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel laureate, for their work on promoting child rights in the troubled sub-continent, where millions are deprived of their childhood and education.
The government of UP has made it a habit of sorts to move against -- or better still, lock up -- mediapersons who give cause for displeasure, says Shuma Raha.
'If Mayawati had performed better, then the BJP would have had a much tougher time to win UP.' 'The present gap in number of seats between the BJP and SP would have got reduced.'
Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai is the kind of bad movie that already knows it stands on shaky grounds and doesn't do anything to mask its insecurities, observes Sukanya Verma.
Photojournalist Chandu Mhatre, one of the first to reach Bhopal after India's worst industrial disaster ravaged the city, remembers his worst seven days, in a conversation with Vaihayasi Pande Daniel/Rediff.com.
The verdict said that the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating ones and hence, the convicts did not deserve any leniency.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that India's High Commission in New Zealand is in touch with local authorities for more information.
Megha Rajagopalan's Xinjiang series won the Pulitzer Prize in the International Reporting category.
A round-up of what our lawmakers have been discussing in Parliament on Tuesday
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday sent a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the state's police chief over the incident.
Justice Ganediwala this month acquitting a 39-year-old man for groping a minor girl, noting that there was no "skin-to-skin contact with sexual intent" has faced severe flak.
This start-up took the 'novel' path to teach children mathematics.
As the Uttar Pradesh assembly election battle hits new lows, Rediff.com's Aslam Hunani walks you through all you need to know about the fifth phase of polling on February 27.
'Lifestyle, peer pressure, lure of extra pocket money and many other factors are responsible why youth are taking drugs.'
"This is a tribute to our daughter," said Nirbhaya's father, who was present in the RS to watch the proceedings.
Overall, since January 1, as many as 144 encephalitis-related deaths have taken place in the hospital, they said.
The minimum punishment in cases of rape of women has been increased from rigorous imprisonment of seven years to 10 years.
The NDA government, under attack for blocking porn sites, on Monday told the Supreme Court that it does not believe in a "totalitarian" state and cannot become moral police.
Terming the incident as unfortunate and a blot on humanity, Deshmukh in a Facebook address said this is not the time to play politics, and urged all to engage in collective efforts to defeat the deadly coronavirus.
Here's a look at the shows coming up!
'I have interacted with Muslim women in rural Bengal, they are scared of the BJP.'
