A crèche facility soon for working parents at BMTC

The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Rule, 2017, mandates every organization with over 50 employees to have a crèche facility within 500 meters. The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is planning to start a crèche facility at its Central Office in Shanthinagar. BMTC administration said that “the project is in its initial stages.” With the workforce shifting […]

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Social audit, not a responsibility of the Gram Panchayat

MNREGA workers have been demanding the gram panchayat of K.Golahalli to conduct a social audit to check mismanagement in working sites. K.Golahalli Gram Panchayat failed to conduct a social audit of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Gurantee Scheme (MNREGA). The responsibility of conducting a social audit is missing from the list of the functions of this […]

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LGBTQIA+ terms not clearly defined; hard to form laws: Centre

“The Centre’s argument that same sex marriage is elite has no bearing on how the court will decide the case,” said Chief Justice of India (CJI). Solicitor General Tushar Mehta representing the government argued that there will be “several ramifications” if the laws are amended to include same sex couples. In his submission before the […]

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Sex Workers in Karnataka: Unaware and Ignored

Sex workers in Karnataka continue to be neglected by the government. With only one recent welfare scheme for them, there are no awareness campaigns to educate them about it. Sex workers in Karnataka are unaware of government schemes that could help them. Karnataka Women Development Corporation (KWDC) has only one scheme, Chetana, for aiding sex […]

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North Indian festival goes South for celebration

The Sri Gali Anjaneya Swamy Temple on Mysuru road celebrates Hanuman Jayanti three times in a year —once in April, once in the June-July period and then a grand Kannadiga celebration in December. A throng of people gather in the ‘Garbhagudi’ at the Sri Gali Anjaneya Swamy Temple where the main idol stands decked in […]

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Umrah: A piligrimage at the cost of a leisure trip

The increasing package costs for Umrah have made it inaccessible for many Muslims across the country. Yakub Ali, a resident of a small town called Sankrail, about 22 kilometres away from West Bengal’s capital city Kolkata, decided to take his family of four, on a 15-day Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca in late December. It was […]

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Need for gender-neutral infrastructure in schools

NCERT’s new curriculum mandates gender neutrality but schools don’t implement them because they say that there is a lack of trans students.  The transgender community in the city wants more focus on basic facilities in school like separate toilets, qualified teachers, and sensitizing students about the subject of the trans community to make education for […]

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Migrant workers: Lost in Bengaluru’s healthcare system

Migrant workers find it difficult to avail the welfare board schemes in Bengaluru as waiting periods are long. Moreover, many labourers are unaware of the healthcare system in Karnataka and often resort to self-treatment. Bengaluru might be a medical tourist spot for the middle and upper class, but for the poor labourers migrating from in […]

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Government schemes out of reach for devadasis

Devadasis whose names are not on the 15-year-old survey list are not able to avail government schemes. Devadasis that were inducted into the devadasi system in the past 15 years are missing out on the benefits of government schemes. Only devadasis whose names are on the survey list are able to avail these schemes. The […]

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Men wearing makeup is the ‘new normal’

From Harry Styles and Ranveer Singh to ordinary men, men are embracing makeup, sarees, skirts, jewellery and painted nails. Bengaluru: Paati Purohit, a Gender Consultant at JSW Foundation, Vijaynagar said social media is helping men to normalize breaking gender stereotypes. She said that social media influencers and, feminist and LGBTQIA activists’ accounts have made it […]

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