To many Indians, the word “politician” invariably invokes familiar scenes of din and disruption in Parliament, if not the taint of corruption. Yet from time to time, a little-noticed — and perhaps rather quaint — parliamentary tradition tends to suggest that at least some of India’s MPs may have a place in their heart for issues concerning the ordinary citizen. Of the 79 private members’ bills listed today in the Lok Sabha’s...

-The Times of India JAIPUR: A day after TOI published a report, "Orphans in peril as RTE mandates parents' income, caste certificates," the Rajasthan government's social justice and empowerment department has written to the education department to soon clarify the issue of certificates mandated under RTE for orphaned children. The report had highlighted how orphans were being asked documents like parents' income certificate, caste certificate, age certificate etc. to get admission in...

BHOPAL: The sterilization fiasco in Madhya Pradesh refuses to die down. Lamenting the decision of making his wife undergo sterilization two months ago, a 35-year-old man, father of six daughters committed suicide in Betul district on Wednesday. His wife, who went under the scalpel in February, alleged that her husband was promised a plot of land and cash by the panchayat secretary and sarpanch of the village in exchange for the...

The National Advisory Council (NAC) wants the government to assess if its cash incentive scheme for the welfare of girls meets its objective of reducing gender selection, as there’s no official study yet to suggest that it does. As part of its recommendations for a national policy to stem India’s declining sex ratio, NAC also sought the formation of a communication and advocacy strategy and stronger laws to prevent the misuse...

Jairam Ramesh asks Azad not to wind up health survey Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has urged health and family welfare minister Ghulam Nabi Azad not to discontinue the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), till a credible alternative is in place. In a 22 April letter, a copy of which has been reviewed by ‘Mint’, Ramesh questioned the comparability of data generated by the annual health survey (AHS) or the district level...