-The Hindu The disease cannot be eliminated without universal access to affordable, quality diagnostics and drugs After decades spent battling the scourge of tuberculosis (TB) in developing countries, 2018 might be the year that it is finally accorded the gravitas it deserves. On September 26, the UN General Assembly will, for the first time, address TB in a High-Level Meeting and likely release a Political Declaration, endorsed by all member nations, to...

-PTI “It must be ensured that no children are deprived/denied of their due benefits or Rights for want of Aadhaar,” said the circular New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has asserted that schools cannot refuse admission to students for lack of Aadhaar, and termed denial on such grounds as “invalid”. It has also exhorted schools to coordinate with local banks, post offices, State education department and district administration, to facilitate...

-Livemint.com Ecologist Madhav Gadgil, whose report on Western Ghats was rejected by the Kerala government, on what caused the Kerala floods and how the rebuilding process should be carried out Ernakulam (Kerala): Submitted seven years ago on 31 August 2011, ecologist Madhav Gadgil’s report on the biodiverse Western Ghats—a portion of which falls in Kerala—had warned that the combination of massive ecological destruction and extreme weather events trigger disaster. His words proved...

-TheWire.in New Delhi: Criticising the country or a particular aspect of it cannot be treated as “sedition” and the charge  of sedition can only be invoked in cases where the intention is to overthrow the government with violence and illegal means, the Law Commission has observed in a consultation paper on the subject. The commission, headed by Justice (retired) B.S. Chauhan, also noted that in order to study the revision of Section...

-The Hindu SC finds audit of child shelters ‘frightening' New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday called the preliminary contents of a social audit conducted by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) as “frightening.” In an affidavit filed before a Bench led by Justice Madan B. Lokur, the NCPCR, represented by advocate Anindita Pujari, submitted that out of a total of 2,874 children’s homes surveyed, only 54 institutions...