-Down to Earth   As India elects new government, the 12th Five Year Plan may no longer be pro-poor MUCH hope is pinned on the 12th Five Year Plan that was declared as the first health Plan by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, while drafting the Plan, also termed it "pro-poor" and promised the maximum budget for social welfare schemes. But as the Plan comes into force this...

-The Indian Express     Mumbai: It's been eight months since the state government launched ‘Manodhairya Yojana', a scheme to provide monetary relief and rehabilitation for rape and acid attack victims, including women and children. But with little advocacy, lack of counsellors in civic-run hospitals, poor post-trauma support as mandated by the scheme, and most importantly, policy apathy, ‘Manodhairya' risks being a laudable scheme just on paper. AAMIR KHAN and TABASSUM BARNAGARWALA speak...

-The Indian Express   Muslim deprivation is embedded in broader developmental challenges. Whenever the Indian electorate has been told that the country is doing well economically, it has displayed disbelief. This voter scepticism has not spared even the largest of national parties. The relatively successful economic performance of the last decade could not be projected effectively by the UPA. BJP/ NDA strategists were quick to take advantage of this and claim that the...

-The United Nations   Road traffic injuries, HIV/AIDS and suicide are the top killers of adolescents globally, while depression is the predominant cause of illness and disability, the United Nations reported today, urging a stronger focus on the health of boys and girls in their pre- and teen years. "We hope this report will focus high-level attention on the health needs of 10 to 19-year-olds and serve as a springboard for accelerated action...

-The Times of India   AURANGABAD: The Aurangabad district administration and the Zilla Parishad (ZP) after introducing a novel online health service system at two primary health centres (PHCs) in the district in September 2013 is all set to launch the e-governance system at 23 PHCs. It will help monitor and ensure accountability and transparency on the part of the centres and to provide information to help people get quality and timely...