Arguably, the debate around trends in Indian women’s employment is only outclassed by a similar one regarding trends in poverty. The broad contours of the debate, mainly relying on data from the National Sample Surveys and Periodic Labour Force Surveys, are the following: the work participation rate for women ages 15 and above fluctuated around 42% between 1993-94 and 2004-05, …
The story so far: After the publication of a caste survey in Bihar, which found that 63% of Bihar’s 13 crore population belong to castes listed under the Extremely Backward Classes and Other Backward Classes categories, Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised and rejected the demand for a nationwide caste census made by Congress and several other Opposition parties. The commission …
The story so far: The World Health Organization issued new guidelines on May 15 advising against the use of non-sugar sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, stevia and other derivatives as a “healthy” alternative to sugar. In what WHO has called a ‘conditional’ guideline, it has suggested that non-sugar sweeteners should not be used as a means of achieving weight control or …
