Governance And Institutions
Rare chance to see Uranus, Neptune
Here is a rare opportunity for people with binoculars and small telescopes to see the planets Uranus and Neptune, which are ususally difficult to identify. "On the evening of October 18, look at the region very close to the edge of the moon fore Ntptune. It will be within the …
UNESCO expands literacy efforts
AN official from the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization said UNESCO will continue to help China eliminate illiteracy in rural areas. To raise money for literacy, said UNESCO administrative officer Doreen Huang, the UNESCO Beijing office has made 5,000 copies of a 2000 calendar to sell to foreigners …
BHEL bags one more Bhutan hydel order
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has been awarded the order for erecting the 6x170 MW Tala hydro-electric project in Bhutan. The order, awarded by the Tala Hydro Electric Project Authority, has set the zero date at November 1.
Dhanpur's Radhaben is now World Laureate
Radhaben Rathwa, a 35-year old tribal from Dhanpur in Vadodara district of Gujarat was hailed as the epitome of women's power when she was awarded the 'Rural Prize' constituted by Geneva based World Women Summit to mark the International Rural Woman's Day. Thanks to dogged perservance, Radhaben today heads a …
Queen Noor
Expand Govt-NGO partnership : The partnership between governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) must be expanded so that NGOs are not viewed as a threat in conservation and development issues, said Queen Noor Al-Hussein of Jordan. Other government ministries like finance, commerce and trade, that have a say in deciding the …
EU backs CO2 deal with Japan, Korea car makers
The European Union gave its blessing yesterday to a pledge by Japanese and Korean car makers to cut pollution gradually over the next 10years. EU environment ministers agreed that the commitment, made after months of intense negotiations, was equivalent to a voluntary scheme agreed last year by ACEA, the Association …
Hazare plans movement for right to information.
Anna Hazare , the crusader fighting corruption in the Indian society, is now planning a national level movement for right to information in association wirh several likeminded groups. A step has already been initiated in this regard by organising a State-level convention in Pune last week, to demand right to …
'No extraneous reasons in notices to NGOs'
The Union Home Ministry denied that it had issued notices to some non governmental organisations (NGOs) selectively due to some 'extraneous reasons' under the Foreign Contribution (Reuglatory) Act, 1976. Sources said that show-cause notices under Sections 10(b) and 5(1) of the Act were issued to 13 NGOs of which are …
Home ministry singles out anti-BJP NGOs
The Union home ministry had directed several prominent non-governmental organisations, which have publicly criticised the Sangh Parivar and the BJP-led government's policies, to show cause as to why action should not be taken against them for engaging in "political" activities.
Neanderthals may have practised cannibalism
Butchered bones unearthed in a cave overlooking the Rhone Valley in France offer the most conclusive evidence to date that European Neanderthals practised cannibalism, archaeologists have reported in the journal Science. Bones of at least six individual Neanderthals -- two adults, two teenagers and two children-- showed clear signs of …
Literacy rate has gone up
The Human Resource Development Minister, Dr. M.M. Joshi, today said the literacy rate in India had gone up to 65 per cent, registering an increase of 13 per cent since 1991.
Rajasthan echo heard in Delhi
An echo of the outrage felt by the villagers of Rajasthan over the State Government's proposal to wind up Lok Jumbish and replace it with the World Bank's District Primary Education Project was heard here in the Capital this evening when Delhi's literates joined hands with neo-literates from the desert …
Where poverty is not an excuse
In the quiet surroundings of Devthala, a dusty vilalge near Dehradun in western Uttar Pradesh, about 50 women are closeted under a Banyan tree. They are making mango pickle and tomato sauce. In a nearby village Rudarpur, another group of illietrate women are engaged in knitting sweaters and making carpets. …
Irish stunned to find illiteracy is high
Despite its rich heritage of great writers, Ireland has one of the highest illiteracy rates among the world's developed countries. According to a United Nations study of 12 developed countries that was issued this month, Ireland with a population of 3.6 million, has 500,000 adults - or 23 per cent …
Is there or isn't there water on the moon?
After decades of flirting with the moon, scientists hope to give it a great big smack this week. On Saturday, they intend to slam the Lunar Prospector craft into the lunar south pole with an force equal to that of a two-ton car hurtling in at more than 1,000 miles …
A panchayat wakes up to environmental issues
For the people of this remote gram panchayat, the decentralisation drive is as much about conservation as it is about development. While the panchayat has waken up to ecological issues, thanks to the panchayat-sponsored environmental campaigns, efforts are now on to identify and 'conserve bio-diversity hot spots' in the panchayat.Chapparappadavu …
Euroka!
Marine Biologists in Australia have uncovered shocking revelations about the sex life of the cuttlefish. Desperate to try their luck with any willing femanle, smaller male cuttlefish can disguish themselves in drag. Using this trick, the smaller male cuttlefish can then avoid attack from larger competitors.
National Literacy Mission bags Noma Prize
India's National Literacy Mission (NLM) has won UNESCO's prestigious Noma Literacy Prize for 1999. An international jury which met in Paris to decide the winners of the UNESCO's four literacy awards singled out the NLM's effort to "galvanise activities towards national integration, conservation of the environment, promotion of women's equality …
Universalisation of elementary education stressed
The Rajiv Gandhi Initiative for Elementary Education (RGIEE) organised a one-day workshop on "Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE0 in Bhopal city' on Wednesday. The workship which was organised under the aegis of United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF).
House passes bill on irrigation
Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Wednesdy passed a bill by voice vote pertaining to the participation of farmers in the irrigation management in the State. The minister for Water Resources Department Dr Ramchandra Sindhdeo, came under severe attack from the opposition benches, after he tabled the bill.
