Social Issues
Education, health, poverty, gender and welfare schemes
204 of 238 Indian cities did not meet air quality standards: CREA
A report by CREA (Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air), a Finland-based independent research group, found that 204 of 238 monitored Indian cities fai...
Jailed as juvenile, Bangladesh man freed after 21 years in jail
The Calcutta High Court ordered the release of a Bangladeshi national who had served 21 years in prison for murder, after ruling that he was a minor at the t...
Cross, Jesus statue at home not proof of conversion, rules high court
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court ruled that the presence of a cross, a statue of Jesus Christ, or other Christian symbols in a home cannot be treate...
In marathon outreach, NCW plans week-long public hearings covering 500 districts
The National Commission for Women (NCW) launched "Mahila Jan Sunwais" — Women's Public Hearings — beginning March 8, 2026 (International Women's Day), runnin...
US F-1 visas for Indian students drop 69% in June-July 2025: Data
Data from the US Department of State revealed that F-1 student visas issued to Indian nationals dropped by 69% in June and July 2025 — the critical two-month...
Karnataka, Andhra move to ban social media use by children
Karnataka announced a ban on social media use for all children under 16 years as part of its 2026-27 Budget, aimed at curbing the harmful effects of excessiv...
New rules clear the way for first women firefighters in Telangana
The Telangana government amended its fire service recruitment rules to remove the gender bar that had previously restricted firefighter appointments to men o...
State committed to take steps to uplift SCs, says CM
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy affirmed the state's commitment to uplifting Scheduled Castes and stated that the demand for categorization of SCs is ...
India may end ₹2,700 crore rice fortification programme
The Government of India has temporarily discontinued rice fortification under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and allied welfare schemes...
New bodies for upliftment of deprived communities
The Karnataka Budget 2026-27 allocated a total of Rs 44,632 crore under the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) for the welfare of Sch...
Maharashtra Budget 2026: Government waives crop loans up to ₹2 lakh for farmers
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis presented the state Budget 2026-27 on March 6, 2026, announcing a crop loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh for farmer...
UN refugee agency declares ‘major humanitarian emergency’ in West Asia
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) declared a "major humanitarian emergency" in West Asia following the escalation of the US-Israel-Iran conflict that began on Fe...
Indonesia to restrict social media access for children under 16 years: Minister
Indonesia's Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs announced regulations on 6 March 2026 restricting children under 16 from accessing social media pla...
Karnataka says it will ban social media for children under-16
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced during the state's 2026 budget presentation that Karnataka would ban social media for children under 16 years...
Karnataka Budget 2026-27: State Government proposes to ban social media for children under 16 years
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced in the 2026-27 State Budget that the government will ban the use of social media by children under 16 years o...
Australia forces porn sites to block under-18s from March 9
Australia began enforcing mandatory age verification for pornographic websites from 9 March 2026, requiring users to prove they are over 18 before accessing ...
Maharashtra cabinet clears draft anti-conversion bill; 60-day notice, registration proposed
The Maharashtra Cabinet (Mahayuti government) approved a draft anti-conversion bill titled the "Maharashtra Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 2026" (Maharashtra F...
BJP claims ₹39,000 crore of SCSP-TSP funds diverted for guarantee schemes by Congress government in Karnataka
The Opposition in Karnataka alleged that the state government systematically diverted funds from the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP...
Why north Karnataka’s under-nutrition burden stays high
North Karnataka districts continue to report persistently high rates of child undernutrition spanning decades, driven by overlapping inter-generational and s...
A trailblazer for the rights of Dalits and the empowerment of women
A profile of Annai Meenambal Sivaraj (1904-1992) highlights her pioneering role in the Dalit rights movement and women's empowerment in colonial and post-ind...