-TheWire.in Nearly two weeks ago, news broke that a Zomato delivery worker tested positive for COVID-19 in New Delhi. As many as 72 families in the south Delhi neighbourhood where he made deliveries have been quarantined, along with 17 other people he worked with. With the luxury of social distancing not extended to delivery workers, the incident further fuelled the apprehensions and uncertainties that they already were contending with. This was only...

-The Hindu Narendra Modi has announced a 21-day lockdown starting from midnight tonight as a major step in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. During the “containment” period of 21 days from March 25, 2020, the following services Will remain open: * Shops, including ration shops, dealing with food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, meat and fish, animal fodder. District authorities to encourage home delivery to minimise individual movement. * Banks, insurance offices and...

-Economic and Political Weekly Despite the efforts of successive governments, sanitation coverage remains low in India. While several studies have explored the impact of user financing on the improvement of sanitation facilities, this article looks at the conditions of housing, infrastructure and the surroundings of slums, under which different sanitation arrangements are made. The sanitation arrangements considered are of various types of ownership and cost-sharing arrangements. The findings provide useful insights...

-The Hindu Citizens should not be asked to provide the same information more than once to government agencies In June 2014, the Modi government set out to change how the government worked. At that time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke in a meeting of Union Secretaries about “reforming the public Service Delivery system and bridging the governance deficit” by introducing “self-certification” in place of “affidavits”. That event revealed his enthusiasm and commitment...

-TheWire.in In a recent NITI Aayog report, essential areas like population health and primary healthcare receive only ritualistic treatment. The NITI Aayog’s recently published report titled ‘Health System for a New India: Building Blocks – Potential Pathways to Reform‘ is remarkable in a number of ways. It has dared to challenge the entrenched healthcare paradigm and move beyond the traditional, clichéd discourse on healthcare reform that has hitherto characterised our plan and...