-The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy Menstrual hygiene, an essential building block of a woman’s health, suffers wanton neglect in India’s public discourse. Though public policies are in place, the progress made by India’s Government, private, and civil society sectors is not in sync with the nation’s aspiration to be a global economic superpower. R. Sujatha, consultant on gender issues, and R. Gopinath, development economist, critique the steps taken,...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Mewat in Haryana is the most backward district of the country followed by Asifabad (Telangana), Singrauli (MP), Kiphire (Nagaland) and Shrawasti (UP), reveals Niti Aayog's ranking of 101 aspirational (backward) districts. The Aayog released the baseline ranking for 101 aspirational districts based on 49 indicators across five sectors that includes health and nutrition (30% weightage), education (30%), agriculture and water resources (20%), financial inclusion and skill...

-PTI The deadline for linking bank accounts and mobile phone numbers with 12-digit biometric identifier Aadhaar has already been extended indefinitely. The Government on March 28 extended by three months the deadline of March 31 for linking Aadhaar with welfare schemes, where benefits are transferred to citizens from the Consolidated Fund of India. The deadline now stands extended to June 30, 2018, according to an office memorandum of the Ministry of Electronics and...

-PTI Recently, the breed virtually became a bone of contention between Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh with both the States staking claim over its nativity. Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Government has come up with a mobile application to market rare chicken breed — the “Kadaknath” — whose black meat is in high demand for its nutritious content and purported medicinal properties. The “MP Kadaknath” mobile app aims to connect poultries that sale the breed...

-Livemint.com Farmers continue to be vulnerable to frequent episodes of losses that neither the state nor the markets have been able to mitigate The dramatic long march to Mumbai involving thousands of distressed farmers on 12 March is a remarkable feat of peaceful protest against the state, given its apathy towards farmers’ distress as well as its failures in safeguarding tribal land rights. However, what is surprisingly missing in this poignant narrative...