-Down to Earth The primary health centre (PHC) at Ajara block in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district would handle just eight childbirth cases a year till 2011. Today, it handles over 125 such cases in a year. The health centre became efficient because of a Central government scheme that empowers communities to monitor public health services. In 2010, the residents participated in a jan sunwai (public hearing) session, in which they told senior...

-The Indian Express Thefts from the public distribution system (PDS) are consistently rising and, according to the latest data for FY12, were a little over Rs 48,000 crore - or roughly the same as the median loss estimated by the CAG for the telecom scam of 2008. Just that unlike the 2G scam, the PDS theft happens every year. And its value rises as the costs of wheat and rice go up...

-DailyMail.co.uk Your friendly neighbourhood NGO worker may have been crying themselves hoarse for years over social ills, but there is a high chance that the organisation he or she represents lacks financial transparency. Nearly 25 lakh NGOs across the country, most of whom receive funds worth crores of rupees from the government and abroad, came under the Supreme Court's scrutiny on Monday after the CBI submitted that only 10 per cent of...

-The Hindu Chhattisgarh deaths turn the spotlight on the undue stress on female sterilisation The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has written to all States to ensure that every individual opting for family planning, is provided options in a "spirit of voluntarism." Following protests over the focus on female sterilisation and the deaths of 13 women in Chhattisgarh this past November, the Ministry has shot off a letter to the States...

-The Hindu The absence of state accountability is at the core of issues facing tribal communities The Report of the High Level Committee on Socio-Economic, Health and Educational Status of Tribal Communities of India, under the chairmanship of sociologist Virginius Xaxa, was circulated last week. The 431-page report details the situation of tribal communities: Scheduled Tribes, de-notified tribes and particularly vulnerable tribal communities. Taking on board the findings and demands of social...