-Down to Earth This has happened in past surveys also, say experts The figures in the 19th livestock census report and the recently released survey report by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) don't tally. While the census report that was released this September shows that number of sheep and goats stood at 200 million in the 2012-13, the 70th round of National Sample Survey showed a huge decline in their number...

-Economic and Political Weekly The key to improving the quality of healthcare services in India and reducing costs at the same time can be found by enacting legislation which lays down minimum standards of patient care. In the absence of such standards and the reluctance of health insurance companies to standardise either price or quality, healthcare services continue to be expensive and of doubtful quality. Developing standards of patient care by...

-Vikalp Most countries in the world spend a sizable amount of public fund on health, though delivery of health services is organised through a mix of government and private providers. The countries recording high level of public spending in health have secured better health outcomes compared to the countries with low spending, barring few exceptions like the US, where high public spending co-exists with high exclusion. Some however have also...

-The Hindu Business Line The rural job guarantee scheme is threatened by the undermining of its driving force, demand-driven work Is the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) suffering a midlife crisis or are we staring at its death? From a budget of ₹401 billion in 2010-11, it has plummeted to ₹330 billion in 2013-14. Given the much higher wages currently offered to workers, it has taken a serious hit. The...

-Business Standard Chhattisgarh reports the highest ratio of 970 while Haryana records the lowest (864) India's sex ratio at birth has risen one point - from 908 in 2010-2012 to 909 in 2011-2013 - according to the latest sample registration system. In rural areas, the ratio was 910, while in urban areas, it stood at 906. The ratio saw a marked difference across states. While Chhattisgarh reported the highest ratio of 970, Haryana...