-Live Mint Critics say inadequate funding is also a reflection of the govt abdicating its responsibility in providing healthcare facilities The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s ‘health for all’ slogan could remain just that as the addition in the budget for health in the next financial year is Rs.7,000 crore, which experts said falls far short of the amount needed to start making universal health coverage (UHC) a reality. Some critics say...

-The Times of India HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity. It's not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199...

-The Hindu The influx of 2.5 lakh Muslims after the 2008 constituency delimitationled to insecurity among Hindus in Dhule, claims social activist Almost two months since six people were killed after communal violence in the north Maharashtra district of Dhule, the aggressive-yet-vulnerable countenance of the town has resurfaced. Citizens, both Hindu and Muslim, reveal that behind the volatility is the small town’s neglected struggle for an identity. A small fight at a local...

-The Times of India Under pressure to energize the economy ahead of the 2014 election, the Manmohan Singh government is reaching across political divides to rescue mining projects in opposition-ruled states of Goa, Odisha and Karnataka. With third quarter growth sinking to 4.5% and the economic survey pointing to a mining and quarrying slowdown as a reason for poor industrial growth, the Centre has decided to ask the Supreme Court to relax...

-PTI The protest-hit Kudankulam town, where two 1,000 MW nuclear reactors are at an advanced stage of commissioning, was on Thursday allocated Rs 150 crore for carrying out various development works. Finance Minister P Chidambaram made the allocation for 'Neighbourhood Development Project (in Kudankulam)' in the Union Budget. The amount has been set aside 'to provide relief and rehabilitation to project affected people of Kudankulam area in Tamil Nadu', the budget documents stated. The...