-The Hindu In a major boost to the country’s private vaccine manufacturing pharmaceutical companies, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that India’s national regulatory authority — Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) — and its affiliated institutions meet the prescribed international standards. India is a major vaccine producer with 12 major vaccine manufacturing facilities. These vaccines are used for the national and international market, reaching nearly 150 countries. Every second child...

-The Hindu Centre buoyed by pilot scheme’s success Encouraged by the response to its pilot scheme on home delivery of contraceptives by women health workers, the Centre has decided to extend the programme across the country with immediate effect. The initiative of supplying contraceptives — condoms, oral contraceptive pills (OCP) and emergency contraceptive pills — at home by accredited social health activists (ASHAs) was launched on a pilot basis in 233 districts in...

-The Times of India The Delhi government has put out public notices declaring that an Aadhaar card will be compulsory from January 1 for access to every government service. The notice has left people confused for lakhs of Delhiites are yet to be enrolled under the Aadhaar programme. On Saturday, Nandan Nilekani represented the UIDAI at the launch of Delhi Government's Annshree Yojana which is cited as the first Aadhaar UID-enabled scheme....

-Kafila.org This release was put out yesterday by the RIGHT TO FOOD CAMPAIGN On the second day of the “Right to Food Dharna” convened by the Right to Food Campaign, hundreds of poor women from across the country braved the morning cold and rain to assemble at Jantar Mantar and voice their concerns,  including the demand for a universal PDS, universalization with quality of ICDS, universal maternity entitlements, universal pensions for single...

-The Times of India LUCKNOW: Hundreds of tribals, mostly womentook out a protest march from the Charbagh railway station to the Dharna sthal in front of state assembly demanding implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006, which provides forest dwellers individual and community rights to hold and live on forest land and use its produce. The tribals, who had come to the city from across the state, said that the distribution...