Pakistan, Nov. 28, 2012: Emergence and rather the abundance of handheld devices, such as mobile phones and smartphones, have enabled the common man with all the computing power that was previously entitled to large organizations only.

This much hold of computing devices has best placed the common man to be able to support, maintain, operate or even control the administrative abilities and challenges that earlier required fully dedicated resources.

New Delhi, Nov. 10, 2012: Jairam Ramesh is finding it difficult to get sanitation out of his head even after losing the portfolio to Bharatsinh Solanki. He has written to Solanki advising him to seek the additional budgetary allocation that the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had promised for sanitation. A section in the government feels that the move is meant to show that he is a crusader when it comes to sanitation. (Source: Nora Chopra, The Sunday Guardian)

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New Delhi, Oct 29, 2012: After assuming independent charge as minister of state for drinking water and sanitation following his elevation in Sunday's cabinet reshuffle, Bharatsinh Solanki Monday said he would take forward the good work done by his predecessor Jairam Ramesh.

Solanki, Congress MP from Anand in Gujarat, was earlier minister of state for railways. Ramesh, who was holding charge of both rural development and drinking water and sanitation, will now hold the portfolio of rural development only.

New Delhi, Oct 24, 2012: After highlighting the need for improving sanitation across the nation, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has taken up the cause of eradicating manual scavenging, an inhuman and outlawed practice still existing in some parts of the country.

Mr Ramesh will launch a two-month-long yatra being organised by an NGO next month in Bhopal demanding eradication of manual scavenging, and social, political, economical rehabilitation of liberated night soil carriers.

Indore, Oct 17, 2012: Amid controversial statements of Union minister of sanitation and drinking water Jairam Ramesh while promoting latrines in the house, threat of security for the women has also emerged as in issue.

While going to defecate in field, women are not only facing indirect health threat but they also face threat of their direct security.

In a recent example, a 19 year old girl was molested while she was going out to attend natures' call allegedly by an influential. Now, her family is running pillar to post to get the complaint registered.

Africa, Oct. 12, 2012: About 103 million Nigerians still defecate in the open out of about 223 million people that practice open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa, WaterAid Nigeria, an international non-governmental organisation working in the area of water and sanitation, has said.

Michael Ojo, WaterAid Country Representatives in Nigeria, said this yesterday in Abuja at the launching of the total sanitation project. The project which has four years circle was aimed at improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the total sanitation project in Nigeria.

Bhopal, Oct. 10, 2012: Rural Development Minister Shri Gopal Bhargava with Union Rural Development Minister Shri Jairam Ramesh will participate in Nirmal Bharat Yatra at village Dev Guradia in Indore district on October 14 and 15. Earlier, Shri Bhargava will participate in local programmes at Indore on October 12.

Rural Development Minister Shri Bhargava will take a meeting of District Plan Committee and review preparations for Investors' Meet at Indore on October 13. (Source: Maha Media)

New Delhi, Oct. 7, 2012: A prominent NGO involved in promoting sanitation in the country today strongly defended Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh who created a controversy by saying there were more temples in the country than toilets.

Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak came in Ramesh’s defence after BJP attacked the minister and Congress distanced itself from his controversial remark.

Bhubaneshwar, Oct. 9, 2012: As the toilet-vs-temple controversy, triggered by Union Minister Jairam Ramesh, refuses to die down, and the Supreme Court issuing a directive that all government schools must have toilets within six months, the State authorities are finally waking up to the grim reality.

The Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority (OPEPA) has decided to come up with special girls’ toilet in the schools across the State __ a whopping 34,824 toilets by March 2013 __ when the apex court deadline ends.

New Delhi, Oct.4, 2012: There is some good news for activists who have been asking the Indian Railways to sort out the problem of manual scavenging due to the existence of conventional toilets in trains.

If Northern Railway officials are to be believed, all trains maintained by the Delhi Division will have bio-toilets, or green toilets as they are popularly called, by the end of this financial year.