Top UN official lauds women’s empowerment and representation in India

September 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian Government on Friday summoned the Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan Riffat Masood and registered its strong protest against the Government of Pakistan's so called "Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Order -2009" and its move to construct the Bunji Hydroelectric Project in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Insofar as the "Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Order -2009 was concerned, the Indian Government charged Pakistan with denying basic democratic rights to the people in those parts of the state of Jammu and Kashmir under its illegal occupation for the past six decades.

September 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manomhan Singh Saturday mourned the death of Mercy Ravi, wife of union Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi. Mercy, also a Congress leader from Kerala, died of kidney failure early Saturday at the Madras Medical Mission Hospital in Chennai.

August 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Minister of State for Rural Development Agatha Sangama on Saturday said that social and economic empowerment of women is more essential than the Women's Reservation Bill. However, Agatha did not disapprove the Bill and said that it would be a medium, which would enable women to have equality in the society.

July 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - President Pratibha Patil Thursday mourned the death of Rajmata Gayatri Devi, the former maharani of Jaipur, saying that she was a multi-faceted personality, who made a deep impression on account of her work in public life, culture and art. In a condolence message to the bereaved family members, the president said: I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing away of Gayatri Deviji.

June 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday opposed the present structure of Women's Reservation Bill, saying it is aimed at preventing the political progress of backward sections and would "finish" regional parties. "Mulayam Singh had said there was a conspiracy (in bringing the bill in its present form) and I am now exposing it," the RJD chief said in the Lok Sabha.

June 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - After President Pratibha Patil declared that the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the parliament is among the top ten priorities of Prime Minister Manamohan Singh's government, women politicians are hopeful that their 14-year-old demand will be fulfilled soon. "Women have been waiting for this since the last fourteen years.

May 12th, 2009 SHIMLA - In view of increasing crime rate against women, the safety and security of women is a poll issue in Himachal Pradesh. The young women voters are determined to vote for a woman friendly candidate who can assure them security, safety and empowerment of the women.

May 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Call it a paradox of democracy - undertrials lodged in Indian jails can contest elections but cannot vote. Nearly 250,000 undertrials lodged in various jails in the country will not be able to cast their votes this Lok Sabha elections as the law denies them the right to vote.

April 6th, 2009 BANGALORE - Karnataka has a healthy 10:9.7 male-female ratio when it comes to its over 40 million voters. But political parties have fielded only four women for the state's 28 Lok Sabha seats.

March 29th, 2009 MUMBAI/COIMBATORE - A Muslim forum has demanded representation in Parliament proportional to their community's population. The All India Ulema Association called upon the Congress party to nominate atleast 12 per cent candidates from the Muslim community in the upcoming general elections.

March 21st, 2009 SHIMLA - The failure of the Himachal Pradesh government to frame guidelines to monitor working of the NGOs and rehabilitation centres was one of the reasons for the shocking case of four teachers sexually exploiting six girls at a centre-cum-hostel here, claims an NGO. Shimla-based Society for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies (SDRS) has claimed that the National Policy For Persons with Disability Act requires the states to frame guideline to regulate NGOs.

March 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The President of Chile, Dr. Michelle Bachelet, accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Ministers of Agriculture and Women Empowerment, is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on Monday.

March 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Gender development and empowerment indices have not improved in India particularly in low-income states, said a report by the women and child development ministry released Sunday. The report - Gendering Human Development Indices: Recasting the Gender Development Index and Gender Empowerment Measure for India - is an initiative of the ministry in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) compiled by the Indian Institute of Public Administration here.

February 10th, 2009 LUCKNOW - The Uttar Pradesh government has stalled the construction of a building established by the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) in Rae Bareli, the parliamentary constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, officials said Wednesday. Rae Bareli Development Authority (RBDA) has stalled the construction of the building of RGCT coming up near the Dillihar village in Rae Bareli.

February 1st, 2009 CHENNAI -: India have been placed in pool D along with Australia, Belarus and the US for the 2009 Women's Junior World Cup hockey to be held in Boston, US, from Aug 3-16. The International Hockey Federation released the groupings of the tournament Monday.