-The Indian Express The current bill does not take into account any of the criticism voiced against an earlier version, proposed under the UPA government in 2013; it continues to ignore the Forest Rights Act. A recent controversial bill that outlines a framework for the utilisation of compensatory afforestation funds is being strongly contested and challenged by civil society actors. It raises important questions that are fundamentally connected to forests: Whose...

-PTI/ United Nations No country has achieved the SDGs and even top Sweden scores "red" on several goals India has ranked a low 110 out of 149 nations assessed on where they stand with regard to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, according to a new index which is topped by Sweden and shows all countries face major challenges in achieving these ambitious goals. The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung...

-The Hindu The matter was raised during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha to which the Health Minister, JP Nadda, could only promise that he would issue an advisory. New Delhi: Parliamentarians across party lines on Tuesday demanded that the mysteries of what one MP, KTS Tulsi, termed “the great Indian spit” be revealed through a scientific study. He held the view that the Indian habit of spitting was the cause of many...

-The Indian Express New FDI policy in food products is unlikely to be a game-changer by itself. Government must clear up the policy environment. n a rather bold move on June 20, the Modi government opened several key sectors such as defence, pharmaceuticals, civil aviation and food products to 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI). The objective behind this FDI policy is to attract higher investments, better technologies in manufacturing, commerce,...

-The Hindu A WHO study titled ‘The Health Workforce in India’, published in June 2016, revealed that the density of all doctors — allopathic, ayurvedic, homoeopathic and unani — at the national level was 80 doctors per lakh population compared to 130 in China. Ignoring those who don’t have a medical qualification, the number for India fell to 36 doctors per lakh population. As for nurses and midwives, India had 61 workers...