-Down to Earth   Dip in number of schools providing midday meals to their students "About 20 per cent schools in India still lack toilet facilities for girls," says a report recently released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The report, titled Elementary Education in India, has also highlighted that enrolment of girls has come down to 48.20 per cent this year, as compared to last year's 48.36 per cent. The enrolment of...

-The Pioneer   Raipur: A significant initiative is being taken up at State Government and administrative levels to link the tribal ‘Pahadi Korwa' families,residing in remote pockets of Korba development block, with farming activities. With the work being done by the Government for the development of these tribal families, a new thought is emerging among the tribals who are keen to take up agricultural activities.According to official sources, there were a total of...

-Live Mint   Voters who gave the Congress its worst drubbing did not reject its welfare agenda, but its performance There are many who interpret the emphatic rejection of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the significant endorsement of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the elections of 2014 as a mandate to end the architecture of rights-based legislation for social and economic welfare constructed during the 10-year UPA regime. Commentators opposed...

-Down to Earth   Most severely and consistently excluded groups are women, Adivasis, Muslims and the disabled, report confirms A recent report by a Delhi NGO undermines government claims on reaching welfare schemes to the needy and disadvantaged sections of society. The report, titled The India Exclusion Report 2013-14, says the government has failed miserably in providing equal access to public goods to the most disadvantaged groups. The report, prepared by Delhi-based Centre for...

-The Indian Express   We need better primary health centres more than AIIMS-like institutions. The ministry of health is reportedly planning to open 10 more AIIMS-like institutes as well as cancer centres in different states. Creating new cancer centres is desirable, given the burden of the disease and the inadequate number of treatment centres. Today, cancer is one of the main causes of premature mortality in our country, and the 25 regional cancer...