-The Hindustan Times Despite crores being spent on HIV/AIDS sensitisation campaigns, it still remains an anathema — even for doctors and nurses. Why else would an HIV positive woman in advanced pregnancy be forced to go home when she came to the hospital to deliver? What's worse, the woman, (name withheld) from Dahapada village under Remuna block, was left unattended for 2 hours after she delivered in an ambulance on way...

-The Hindu “Give them identity cards, ban begging” The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has recommended issuing identity cards with unique serial numbers for the abandoned and destitute women who make Vrindavan their home. Submitting a rehabilitation plan before the Supreme Court on Monday for the destitute women living under pitiable conditions in Vrindavan, NALSA also demanded a ban on their begging. The proposal says it is first necessary to improve the condition of...

-The Telegraph Varanasi, Sept. 2: When the pain becomes excruciating, Lakhyi Pal smiles. No, it’s not age — she is 98 — that has dulled her senses. For her, such “thorns” are the “pathway to salvation”, and Shiva. Pain-relieving gel, or no gel. Abandoned widowhood, or dextrocardia. Prolonged complications from the congenital condition — where the heart is located on the right side of the thorax — has not dampened the spirits of...

-The Telegraph The National Commission for Women has acted on less than a fourth of the cases registered with it since 2007 and been able to close less than one in eight. Answering a question in Parliament last month, women and child development minister Krishna Tirath said the commission had received 86,364 complaints in the past five years but acted on only around 20,000. “So far, around 20,000 cases have been acted upon,...

-The Hindu Brazil, Mexico and Thailand have done it. Many countries with a sound understanding of development look at Universal Health Coverage as a vital requirement to achieve it. India is at a crossroads. Introducing UHC in the 12th Plan can transform the lives of Indians, create new jobs and galvanise the economy. Most people would agree that one’s income or caste or gender should not bar one’s ability to get decent...