Uttar Pradesh's electorate has increased by over 84 lakh following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to the final voter list. The revision exercise, conducted across all 75 districts, aimed to update and refine the electoral roll, resulting in a significant rise in both male and female voters, as well as an improved gender ratio.
India's unemployment rate reached an 11-month high of 5.5 per cent in May, up from 5.2 per cent in April, according to the National Statistics Office, indicating a softening labour market as labour-force participation also eased.
'Even lower middle class parents in cities opt for just one child. A son is a must.'
India's unemployment rate for individuals aged 15 years and above reached a six-month peak of 5.2 per cent in April 2026, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data.
Singer Sona Mohapatra has criticised rapper Badshah for using misogynistic tropes in his song 'Tateeree', which has faced backlash for its objectionable lyrics and visuals. Badshah has since apologised and removed the song from social media.
'You cannot run Parliament with 800 MPs as nobody will get time (to speak in Parliament). And Parliament sits for barely 60 days in a year.' 'Look at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. They have 650 MPs and they sit for 150 days on an average in a year.'
'It's harder to attract women initially, but once they come in, retention is significantly higher.'
'The Supreme Court stated that once the delimitation plan is approved by Parliament and receives assent of the President, it cannot be undone. Nor can it be modified.'
A recent study reveals significant growth in women's cricket participation across India, highlighting increased interest, career aspirations, and the sport's rising popularity.
India has ranked 131 out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025, slipping two places from its position last year.
Unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and above rose marginally to 4.8 per cent in December 2025 compared to 4.7 per cent in the preceding month. The unemployment rate (UR) or joblessness, among persons of age 15 years and above, remained largely stable in December 2025, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Thursday.
A string of welfare schemes and promises tests the state's budget, which is already heavily dependent on central support and spends little as capital outlay.
The CMs with lowest assets are West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee with assets worth over Rs 15.38 lakh, Omar Abdullah, CM of Jammu and Kashmir, with assets worth over Rs 55.24 lakh, and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, who has assets worth Rs 1.18 crore.
The Centre has denied any discrimination in granting permanent commission to Short Service Commission (SSC) women Army officers compared to their male counterparts, assuring the Supreme Court that all parameters are being duly followed.
For nearly two decades, Nitish Kumar has cultivated women as a distinct constituency. 'To create a broader vote base, he thought it would be better to bring women to electoral politics.'
The Supreme Court will also hear similar pleas related to permanent commission from the Indian Navy, followed by the Indian Air Force and Coast Guard.
If a woman can fly Rafale fighter jet in the Indian Air Force, then why are fewer women officers in gender neutral posts of judge advocate general (legal) branch of the Army, the Supreme Court wondered recently and questioned the Centre's rationale on a 50-50 selection criterion.
In 2019, out of the 1,440 minutes in a day, Indian youth spent 148 minutes on employment-related activities, which increased to 158 minutes in 2024.
There are 218,442 voters over 100 years on the electoral rolls.
It also said over two crore young electors in age group of 18 to 29 years have been added in the voters' list.
India remains a young nation, but it will not get younger in future. India has not managed to noticeably improve education. Nor has it managed to create employment opportunities, observes Devangshu Datta.
The final electoral roll has a total of 83,59,771 electors -- 42,91,687 males, 40,67,900 females and 184 third gender -- Joint Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir Anil Salgotra said.
They said women electors and first-time voters have registered a significant increase.
A new report, "India Justice Report 2025", highlights the stark gender disparity in India's police force, with less than 1,000 women holding senior positions like Director-Generals and Superintendents of Police. Despite growing awareness about the need for gender diversity in law enforcement, not a single state or Union Territory has met its target for women's representation in the police force. The report also emphasizes the significant challenges faced by the justice system as a whole, including infrastructural deficiencies, overcrowding in prisons, and inadequate staffing levels. The report calls for systemic reforms to address these issues and ensure a more equitable and accessible justice system for all.
The mortality-to-incidence ratio for India was 64.47 per cent in 2022, the highest while comparing the top 10 countries with the highest number of cancer incidences.
'The quality of justice is directly linked to the quality of judges -- if that suffers, justice delivery suffers.'
E-commerce players also realise the value proposition women employees bring to the table.
'... because their parents wanted a boy.' 'But over 2 million women go every year due to sex-selective abortion, disease, neglect or inadequate nutrition,' says Devangshu Datta.
In some states, many women voters had enrolled themselves by their relationship with the male members of their family instead of providing their own names.
The report highlights that India's population in 2036 is expected to be more feminine compared to the 2011 population, as reflected in the sex ratio which is projected to increase from 943 in 2011 to 952 by 2036, highlighting a positive trend in gender equality.
Let's make some effort to make it come true and close the gender gap once and for all.
The respondents were from over 22 states with 85 percent of them being under 35 years while 61 percent were interns or postgraduate trainees.
A cultural preference for sons in India may be expressed as 'son preference' or 'daughter aversion', arising from patrilocality, patrilineality, the cost of dowry, and old-age support from sons.
85 per cent of countries have improved their gender equality ratios.
India has managed to move a smaller share of its working-age population away from farm-related work than many of its neighbours. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal managed to shift a bigger share of jobs to non-agricultural work than India, shows data from the year 2000 to 2023 the compiled from the World Bank's April South Asia Development Update report. Only Pakistan and the Maldives show a lower shift among South Asian peers.
Noting that the problem of declining sex ratio was acute in richer states of the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said India was living with the 'ignominy' of an adverse gender balance. "The last census showed a declining sex ratio. Multiple deprivations all with roots in the oppressive structure of patriarchy has resulted in a bias against girls and women. This is a shame and we must face the challenge squarely," he said.
There has been a decline of four points in male U5MR and three points in female U5MR during the corresponding period.
The external affairs minister also recalled how Pandit Nehru was hesitant in taking assistance from the United States following the 1962 war with China as he was unsure how it would be seen.
India's rapid economic progress over the past two decades masks its abysmal performance on social indicators.
A freebie once granted can hardly be discontinued. All that can happen is to substitute it with a bigger freebie, notes A K Bhattacharya.
