-Hindustan Times New Delhi: Delhi has the highest density of hospitals in the country and more beds available for patients than the national average but it is impossible to get treatment in government-run hospitals when needed. The city’s rising population and the many thousands who come from other states seeking treatment have virtually put government hospitals, which offer cheaper care, out of reach for most people. Delhi has 976 registered hospitals and clinics...

-Hindustan Times The government has cleared a Rs 950-crore PLAn to untangle the Aadhaar-national population register jumble inherited from the UPA government. The census commissioner, tasked with creating NPR, will conduct a nationwide door-to-door survey over the next one year to link the population database with the 12-digit unique identification number, better known as Aadhaar. Home minister Rajnath Singh approved the PLAn in June-end, sources said. At each stop, enumerators — who will...

THE controversy over Maggi instant noodles has once again highlighted the issues PLAguing food safety in India. Not only does the issue raise critical questions about safe food production by multinational companies such as Nestle but it also foregrounds the institutional fault lines when it comes to ensuring food safety. Frontline spoke to Sunita Narain, who heads the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the organisation instrumental in initiating...

-The Hindu Chennai: Even as Tamil Nadu forges ahead in urbanisation, income levels of rural households present a bleak picture, reveals the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011. The provisional data released on Friday reiterate the fact that the State is the frontrunner as far as urbanisation is concerned. Of the total households, 42.47 per cent are urban - the highest among larger States in the country ahead of Gujarat and Maharashtra. While...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: A new survey has shown that one in every two rural households is eligible for targeted government aid - a significant jump from two earlier estimates of those entitled to blanket benefits. The provisional socio-economic and caste census (SECC) data released by finance minister Arun Jaitley show that almost half the 17.91-crore households in rural India may be considered under various targeted welfare schemes, depending on their specific...