On November 23, the Supreme Court is slated to hear a damning report submitted by the court-appointed Commissioners on how politically connected contractors—legally barred from the ICDS program—might be subverting the social welfare measure in the state of Maharashtra.  The ICDS is an Rs 8000 crore government-funded program aimed at ending India’s abysmal rates of child malnutrition by supplying hot cooked meals and take home rations to children through decentralised women-run,...

-NDTV Mumbai: In a grim reminder of the continuing misery of the poor in India, a report by a Supreme Court panel has revealed widespread irregularities in the production and supply of food for malnourished children in Maharashtra. While private contractors illegally supplied food and made massive profits, the poor children, who were entitled to the benefit under the anganwadi scheme, were fed stale and low-quality food. The shocking revelations are part...

-The Times of India They stay in cramped prison spaces with minimum facilities at their disposal. But they're not criminals. They are the children of women who have been convicted or are facing trial. Over 800 children up to the age of six are languishing in prisons across seven states and union territories, including Delhi, for no fault of their own. Sadly, the juvenile justice system is yet to make room...

-The Hindu In the State that leads in incidents of rape, the shame-inducing statistics are pushing the administration into action Time was when Payal (name changed to protect her identity), a standard VII student from Madhya Pradesh’s tribal dominated Betul district, had only school, friends and family on her mind. But her little world changed dramatically in March this year. The 15-year-old, a resident of Betul’s Majhinagar slum, was abducted in public by...

-Mid Day 'Mafia' set up these establishments across the state to usurp government grants, reveals report submitted by state child rights commission; many of them were being run as hostels and coaching centre Corruption is now so rampant in every sphere in this country that it has become a child’s play for the perpetrators. MiD DAY has learnt that the Congress-led Democratic Front government is sitting on a sensational report submitted by...