If actions speak louder than words, then the government has just spoken loud and clear. There could be no stronger indication of the government’s lack of serious intent in building an effective anti-corruption regime than the decision to remove the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) law. Without any discussion in the public domain, the government has decided to use Section 24 of...

-The Hindu   Study finds higher levels of lead in Nepal, Bangladesh Indian paint majors are showing their true colours in neighbouring markets, by including dangerously high levels of lead in their products, according to a study conducted by some non-governmental organisations in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. For example, Asian Paints' Golden Yellow shade of paint contains only 90 ppm (parts per million) of lead in India, meeting international standards. In Nepal, it...

Conditional cash transfers are necessary but not sufficient for improving health. Good government-funded health care is essential, as are schemes which address social determinants of health. The march of capitalism, with its reduced emphasis on public spending, while improving many national economies has also widened the gap between the rich and the poor. For millions of Indians, hunger is routine, malnutrition rife, employment insecure, health care expensive and livelihoods are under...

Attacked by the opposition BJP, the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council has put up a strong defence of its draft communal violence bill. Backing the bill's intentions, the council members have said that the law is intended not to blame the majority community in case of attacks on a 'non-dominant group' but to ensure that the administration works impartially. They said communal and targeted violence spreads mainly when the public officials charged...

-The Times of India   Do not drink your bottle gourd ('lauki' in Hindi, and 'sorakaya' in Telugu) juice if it tastes bitter, it could kill you. This recommendation comes after some investigation by an experts' committee. The death of 59-year-old scientist, Sushil Kumar Saxena, a deputy secretary in the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in New Delhi in June 2010, spurred an investigation into the effects of the consumption of...