Asian Correspondent

India is simply not doing enough for its women. The country has fallen by one rank &mdash from 112 out of 134 countries in 2010 to 113 out of 135 countries &mdash according to the Gender Gap Index 2011 released by the World Economic forum (WEF) on Wednesday. Over the last six years, while 85 per cent of countries are improving their gender equality ratios, for the rest of the world the situation is declining, most notably in several African and South American countries. The sixth annual World...

With the birth of Nargis in a village 40 km from Lucknow this morning, the world's population touched seven billion. Lucknow is the capital of India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh. Nargis, weighing 3kg, was born at 7:20 this morning to Ajay (25) and Vineeta (23) at a local community health centre in Mall village, about 40 km from Lucknow, Davinder Kumar, Global Press Officer (Asia & Americas), Plan International, told this correspondent over phone. The parents want to see her educated, and...

The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights has ordered an inquiry into the allegation that a coercive circular by the Kerala government to its public education department was meant to deploy an online school management software called “Sampoorna” in schools across the State in a manner that it would violate the right to privacy and dignity of children in the state. In a letter to the Secretary of the Education Department, Govternment of Kerala, the NCPCR on Friday asked the...

Indian retailers suffered the highest loss of stocks to theft in the world for the fifth year in a row in 2011. Half of this loss was attributed to shoplifting by customers. The silver lining here was that India is the world’s only country where the shrink rate (loss of stocks because of thefts by customer, employees and supplier) came down in 2011, according to the Global Retail Theft Barometer 2011. The shrink rate as a percentage of sales was 2.38 per cent, costing local retailers Rs 3,470...

When Manas National Park was removed from the UNESCO World Heritage in Danger List in June this year, there was a lot to cheer about. The hard work put in by conservation groups has been recognised, but a bigger danger lies in the future — one that can virtually wash away the national park. Well, almost. If a recent study conducted by Partha J Das (Head, Water, Climate & Hazard Programme) and Bibhab K Talukdar (Secretary General) of Aaranyak is to be taken even with a pinch of salt, there's much...

Bharti Airtel and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) have reneged on their commitment of disclosing a detailed and sustainable emission reduction plan, including a substantial substitution of diesel with renewable alternatives to power their network operations by September 2011, environmental organisation Greenpeace India has alleged. The public commitment was made following a meeting between Bharti Airtel, representatives of COAI and Greenpeace India on June 10, 2011. “Not only...

The main threat to Kaziranga National Park in the next 25 years will come not from poachers or encroachers, but the 70 dams that are being built in the Eastern Himalayas of India’s Northeast. Experts who have just completed a study of the region fear that Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park, both World Heritage Sites of natural importance, might be adversely affected by dam-building on the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. Partha J Das (Head, Water, Climate & Hazard Programme) and...

The Indian luxury market, estimated at $5.8 billion (nearly Rs 28,500 crore), is spreading beyond the big cities as adoption of global trends is fast catching up in smaller cities. According to India Luxury Review 2011, published by the Confederation of India Industry (CII) and AT Kearney, the luxury bug has not bitten big cities alone. One in four luxury stores are established outside Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. This could very well be the trend for the next few years, what with the Indian...

The beleaguered United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has decided to give a Diwali gift to Indian journalists. The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the final Majithia Wage Board recommendations, which will benefit more than 45,000 journalists and non-journalists in the country. The revised wages, with hikes ranging from 10 per cent to 30 per cent, will come into force with retrospective effect from July 2010. Allowances, such as transport, house rent and hardship shall be effective from...

For a country where health care is a sordid joke on the poor, India has something positive to show on this front. Polio, going by the law of averages, is on the verge of being eradicated from India. Only one polio case has been detected so far this year in the country, making it the longest polio-free period since eradication efforts were launched in 1995. The only case of polio reported this year (on January 13) has been from Howrah district in West Bengal compared to 39 cases in the same...