The ongoing police investigation into the POCSO case against granite baron R Veeramani has led to the identification of multiple survivors, many of whom were minors and from economically underprivileged backgrounds when allegedly assaulted. Charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been added, and Veeramani has been granted three days police custody for questioning within the prison due to his age and health.
The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that the 'creamy layer' principle, which excludes affluent individuals from reservation benefits, does not apply to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). This stance opposes Public Interest Litigations (PILs) seeking to implement such a principle for SC/ST reservations and to direct the government to formulate policies for more equitable distribution of reservation benefits.
A former industries extension officer in Thiruvananthapuram has been arrested by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) for allegedly misappropriating Rs 3.57 crore from a self-employment scheme for women. The officer, Praveen Raj T R, is also implicated in two other similar cases involving significant amounts.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered an immediate stay on the controversial Maharashtra Right to Information (RTI) rules following a backlash from transparency advocates and a hunger strike threat by veteran anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare.
Kerala's voters are sophisticated, educated, and unforgiving. They have once again made it clear that no government is entitled to remain in power. The Congress would do well to remember this, points out Ramesh Menon.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has assured the Vidhan Sabha that discrepancies in electricity bills following smart meter installations will be addressed. The government also plans to amend regulations to curb excessive fees charged by private schools.
This election is different. It is no longer simply about governance or welfare. It is about identity, fear, and who belongs. The BJP has successfully shifted the terms of the debate from what the government has delivered to who the real Bengali is and who is an outsider, points out Ramesh Menon.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has refuted claims by the opposition regarding the cancellation of old-age pensions, calling them baseless and politically motivated. He assured that the government is verifying discrepancies to ensure only eligible beneficiaries receive pensions and highlighted the increase in pension amounts and the number of beneficiaries under the current regime.
President Droupadi Murmu addressed the nation on the eve of Republic Day, emphasising India's role in promoting peace, the empowerment of women, and the country's economic growth.
Maulvi Ishtiyaq told his interrogators a shockingly different story, claiming that Ganaie and Umar approached him earlier this year, asking him to store what they called "fertilisers" at his home and allegedly agreed upon a monthly storage fee of Rs 2,500, according to officials.
India's extreme poverty rate declined sharply to 5.3 per cent over a decade from 27.1 per cent in 2011-12 even as the World Bank revised upwards its threshold poverty line to $3 per day.
You can slowly build up spices over six to nine months by adding ajwain, jeera, coriander, cardamom and cinnamon powders for flavouring different recipes, says Madhavi Bhardwaj.
A look at the lessons learnt by the columnist in his experiment to whittle down the weekly food bill to sub-poverty levels.
'...the electoral playing field is tilted significantly in its favour.'
What makes the Gen Z Mada movement in Madagascar significant is not only their use of digital tools but their ability to unify a disillusioned population around a shared vision of justice, transparency, and reform.
An estimated 12.6 million people in Britain, 22 per cent of the total population, currently live below the poverty line despite the progress the country has made, a survey indicated on Tuesday.
ADB's calculations imply almost half of India's population (47.7 per cent) was below the line in 2010. Both these estimates are based on the year 2005's purchasing power parity rates.
If he cannot do it this term by using his bureaucracy and experts from different fields, it will be a tragedy, asserts Ramesh Menon.
State Bank of India (SBI), in a report on Friday, claimed a significant decline in the headline poverty ratio in rural areas on account of enhanced physical infrastructure, higher consumption growth in the bottom fractile and direct benefit transfers (DBTs).
'You can observe a lot of things from space.' 'Another thing is communication, in real time, especially in war-like situations.' 'During Operation Sindoor, we could play our part well.'
The national poverty rate is 14.7 percent.
As the poverty rates in the country declined below 5 percent in 2024, a research study by State Bank of India also highlighted that the extreme poverty in the country has been reduced to minimal.
The manner in which the government and the political opposition in Delhi have been guilt-tripped into this debate on the poverty line is a reflection of a broader phenomenon that has taken root within the minds of the thinking class at large, says Shashi Shekhar.
The number of poor children in the US grew by 18 per cent from 2008 to 2014, and the number of children living in low-income households grew by 10 per cent.
Addressing the conference, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said as a developing country, China may boast a fairly large economy, but its per capita income ranks around 90th in the world.
The Rangarajan panel says anyone spending up to Rs 47 a day in urban areas and Rs 32 in villages would be considered poor as of 2011-12.
The nation's official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 per cent, up from 14.3 per cent in 2009.
In rural areas, the poverty ratio was estimated at 28.3 per cent whereas in urban areas it was 25.7 per cent, stated V Narayanswamy, Union Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary Affairs in Rajya Sabha on Thursday, in response to a question by independent member Parimal Nathwani.
The US Census Bureau in its report said 13.5 per cent of Americans lived in poverty in 2015, a reduction of 1.2 per cent from 2014.
Despite facing financial constraints, Kerala has been able to invest in welfare schemes and targeted programmes.
President Droupadi Murmu addressed the nation on the eve of Independence Day, praising the response to terrorism, highlighting achievements in defense self-reliance, and emphasizing unity and progress.
'All governments are scared of a negative image.' 'Somehow, this government has a tendency to create a narrative that things are improving.' 'When the real data gives a different picture, they are upset.'
President Droupadi Murmu's address to the nation on the eve of the 79th Independence Day.
Palak and Anuja endear us to their bittersweet world, observes Sukanya Verma.
'When so many young Baloch men and women are willingly volunteering as fighters and even suicide bombers.'
The Supreme Court on Monday came to the rescue of a Dalit youth, who had lost his seat in IIT Dhanbad after missing the deadline to deposit a fee, by asking the institute to admit him to the BTech course.
'Due to this sudden phenomenon, guests stopped visiting the homes of these villages, girls and boys from these villages were not getting proposals; students were reluctant to attend schools and colleges for fear of being shamed.'
Kumar's parents failed to deposit Rs 17,500 as the acceptance fee by June 24, the deadline for depositing the requisite fees for blocking the seat.
'Without a poverty line, how are we to know whether poverty is the same, or it has come down or it has gone up?'
'Maharashtra is virtually in a debt trap.'
