Latest news with #ruralAreas
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan to promote startups by women as part of push to stop rural outflow
The government will promote startups by women nationwide as it seeks to curb an outflow of women from rural areas, a draft package of measures for gender equality said Monday. The government will hold seminars and lectures based at regional gender equality centers set up by local governments. The draft, released at Monday's meeting of the Council for Gender Equality, headed by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, will be formally adopted at a joint meeting including the government's Headquarters for the Promotion of Gender Equality by the end of June. The draft refers to an urgent need to make rural areas more attractive for women amid an accelerating overconcentration of people in Tokyo. Seeing fewer job prospects for women in the countryside as a problem, the central government will improve consulting systems for business startups in rural areas and help them establish networks with local economic associations and financial institutions. The government will also take measures to help prevent female entrepreneurs from being harassed and facilitate matching companies with people possessing skills the companies want. Japan plans to establish an independent administrative institution for gender equality within fiscal 2026. The new institution will have a database of experts to be sent for seminars at regional centers and will receive aid to be funded with state grants to local governments. On the proposed selective dual surname system for married couples, under debate in parliament, the draft said the central government will keep working to expand the use of maiden names and publicize this. Meanwhile, the government also compiled a draft plan to develop female human resources in technology fields, including intensive support measures to be implemented over three years. Specifically, courses on artificial intelligence will be added to the list of job skill improvement courses eligible for tuition subsidies under the employment insurance system.
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
North Yorkshire Council accused of 'cynical ploy' over transport
A council has been accused of a "cynical ploy" after telling parents they would no longer be eligible for free school transport for their children just before the half-term Yorkshire Council sent its decision notice out by email on Friday outlining the new policies on home-to-school free transport eligibility has been for children living in rural areas with long journeys to school that were paid for by the on Friday councillors voted to approve a change to the scheme, that means provision is based on the distance to a pupil's nearest school rather than any school of their choice within the catchment area. £4.2m saving Altering the eligibility rules would save the council £42m a year, and is currently the authority's third-largest council has defended the policy change, and said the move would make savings at a time of severe financial added that the new policy was "fairer" because under the old system, some families claimed the grants for journeys to more than one school for their for children and young people, Stuart Carlton, said the information had been sent as quickly as possible, and parents who had already been in touch would receive families of children due to start secondary school in September were informed on 30 May and those with children due to start primary school are due to find out by 30 June. 'Cynical ploy' Those who have complained are those who wish to send their child to a school within their catchment area but which is not the closest one to their home, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said, and campaign group School Transport Action Group (STAG) has called for the policy to revert to the old criticised the council for telling parents on a Friday afternoon before a Bank Holiday weekend when no council staff were available to answer queries."This adds insult to injury," STAG said."Anguished parents have been left in the dark as to what they are supposed to do now."This seems a really cynical ploy by the council to deliver bad news and then not be on hand to help sort out the mess."We're starting to wonder what North Yorkshire parents have done to deserve this type of treatment from their council." Parent Rachael Berry, who lives near Skipton, received an email advising that her daughter would not be eligible for free transport because Skipton Girls' High School, where she has a place, was not their nearest school."It's going to be a time of confusion for parents about what to do next."The bus passes are allocated on a first-come-first served basis, so we need to get the message out to check if you've got an email, and get your application in as soon as possible."The Green Party councillor for Great Ouseburn, a small village between Ripon and York, said the council needed to "be careful" about how it treated families, and the decision should not be made for "convenience"."Sometimes there's no solution for everyone, but what you can do with everybody is give them due consideration," Arnold Warneken said. "We've sent these emails out when there will be nobody at the council for three days and nobody at the schools to talk to for 10 days because it's half-term. "This seems to be being rushed through."Mr Carlton added: "We are aware that parents and carers have been waiting for information about the child's eligibility for assistance with home to school travel. Therefore, we have tried to provide the information as quickly as possible."The letters sent today provide information not only about whether their child is eligible for assistance with home to school travel, but also about how and where they are able to obtain further information about school travel arrangements, including information about the appeals process."We have already received correspondence from parents about the letters and we will be responding to them as soon as possible." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Irish Times
17-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
What's going on with Ireland's failing septic tanks?
For too long Ireland has had a poor record in making sure septic tanks operate properly and don't pollute their environs. This is not an isolated problem with holiday homes in remote places: Domestic wastewater treatment systems, mostly in the form of septic tanks, are attached to almost 500,000 properties, mainly in rural areas. They are installed where connection to the public sewage system is not possible. The problem has been highlighted yet again by the Environmental Protection Agency. More than half of 1,400 domestic septic tanks inspected by local authorities last year failed to meet the required standard. How is human health and the environment threatened? Faulty systems can contaminate household drinking water wells with harmful bacteria and viruses. Ireland has the highest incidence of Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) in Europe and a substantial proportion of cases have been linked to contaminated private drinking water supplies. Excessive releases of nitrogen and phosphorus from faulty systems can cause pollution in receiving waters. Domestic wastewater is identified as a significant pressure on water quality in 148 (9 per cent) at-risk water bodies in Ireland. READ MORE Why is the problem persisting? Too many septic tanks are not built or maintained properly, with more than half posing a risk to human health and the environment. Tanks not being desludged, discharges of effluent into ditches or streams, leaks and 'effluent ponding' in gardens were the most common faults. The other problem is a lack of consistency across local authorities who are required to carry out inspections and enforcement under the EPA's national inspection plan. Some meet inspection requirements consistently and bring legal proceedings against the worst offenders, but many do not. Of most concern is high failure rate where inspections are carried out. The worst areas are in Laois, Westmeath, Roscommon, Kildare, Leitrim, Offaly and Wexford. The number of advisory notices (on what must be done to rectify issues) open more than two years has decreased for the first time, from 576 at the end of 2023 to 523 at the end of 2024 – the only good news. How can the problem be solved? The Green Party has suggested free well-water testing should be made available for rural households. According to Senator Malcolm Noonan, this would ensure householders know what risk to their health was coming from their taps and in turn create a culture of urgency to fix faulty septic tanks. Half a million people living in rural areas rely on private domestic wells for their drinking water. The EPA recommends these supplies are tested once a year – at a cost in excess of €200. So a significant ramp-up in inspections, enforcement, free well-water testing and consistency across all local authorities are required.
Reuters
08-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Rural India's consumer demand outpaces urban areas for fifth straight quarter, NielsenIQ says
May 8 (Reuters) - India's consumer goods sector reported an 11% growth in value in the March quarter, as rural growth outpaced that in urban areas for the fifth straight quarter, market research firm NielsenIQ said on Thursday. Rural areas - which account for just over a third of overall consumer goods sales - have become a bright spot for an industry that is struggling with higher living costs and slow wage growth in large cities. "Rural markets continue to drive growth, whereas urban metros continue to see a shift toward E-commerce," Roosevelt Dsouza, head of customer success for consumer goods at NielsenIQ, said. Although rural consumption growth slowed in the March quarter, with volumes rising 8.4% compared to 9.2% in the previous three months, it still outpaced urban demand, where growth decelerated to 2.6% from 4.2%. Price increases also contributed to the overall value growth, with the cost of staples such as edible oil rising 5.6% during the quarter, compared with just 0.3% in the same period a year ago. Low base, rural growth, and easing inflation are helping smaller players, which saw 17.8% growth in value, outpacing the broader FMCG market, the report said. Indian consumer goods maker Marico ( opens new tab reported fourth-quarter profit above analysts' expectations, boosted by improving rural demand and price increases for its key packaged oil brands—underscoring the strength of non-urban markets. The company also said it plans to expand its presence in villages across India. Smaller manufacturers are driving consumption compared to larger players, whose volume growth has halved compared to the December quarter, NielsenIQ said. Hindustan Unilever ( opens new tab and Nestle India ( opens new tab reported weaker fourth-quarter profits, with Hindustan Unilever cutting its margin forecast amid high commodity costs and sluggish urban demand. Going ahead, NielsenIQ said revised tax slabs and a favorable monsoon forecast could further lift consumption in the coming quarters.
