-The Hindu Other important promises that could touch, and likely improve, the lives of millions rarely make headlines Disparaging references to “freebies” are a popular trope of media coverage of elections in Tamil Nadu. This Assembly election is no different: free data, free tabs, free washing machines were in the news as political parties released their election manifestos. Electoral promises serve as a road map for elected governments and deserve greater scrutiny....

-The Hindu Make the process for procurement of wheat offline in current season, says Jaipur . JAIPUR: The Centre has praised the achievements of Rajasthan in the implementation of “one nation, one ration card” scheme to enable the migrant workers and their family members access the benefits of PDS from anywhere. Rajasthan is the 12th State to successfully undertake the reform. Union Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey, who was on a visit to the...

-The Indian Express As a second Covid wave rolls over Maharashtra, mainly the rural areas, patients are forced to travel long distances to seek treatment. At Nashik civil hospital, a nodal centre for rural areas, all the 110 beds are full. WITH PACKED Food, bedsheets and bottles of water, they camp outside Nashik Civil General Hospital. They are relatives and close contacts of Covid cases admitted there. There is Digambar Kad, who lives...

-The Hindu The policy has absolutely no consideration for Group 3 patients who require lifelong treatment support, say organisations Caregivers to patients with ‘rare diseases’ and affiliated organisations are dissatisfied with the National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021 announced on Wednesday. Though the document specifies increasing the government support for treating patients with a ‘rare disease’— from ₹15 lakh to ₹20 lakh — caregivers say this doesn’t reflect actual costs of treatment. There...

-Scroll.in If Maharashtra government doesn’t act soon, an entire generation of students from Melghat’s tribal communities will be pushed out of higher education. Jaylal Dhikar wakes up at 4 am. While it is still dark, the 22-year-old climbs up a stony hillock a few miles from his home. He walks from one end of the flat hillock to the other looking for a mobile network on his basic smartphone. All by himself,...