-The Hindu Despite SC order, daily number in each camp high in Chhattisgarh Raipur (Chhattisgarh): The Health department has set "targets" of female sterilisation in Chhattisgarh, according to an unpublished survey of the family planning programme in the State conducted by the Public Health Resource Network (PHRN) a year ago, The synopsis of the report accessed by The Hindu says, "During discussions with various respondents while carrying out the survey, it was evident...

-The Hindu Reports that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government intends to radically restructure the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) have re-ignited public discussion on the scheme. Since its launch, debate on MGNREGA has been synonymous with ideological contestations on the role of the state and its welfare functions. Inevitably, the contours of the debate have been shrill, leaving little space for an evidence-based discussion on the...

-Tehelka Why is the northeastern state Witnessing a spurt in fatal road accidents? On 26 October, 37 people from Lakhimpur district of Assam boarded an Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) bus for a 390-km overnight journey to Guwahati. Most of them were part of a group that was planning to catch a train for Lucknow from Guwahati the next day and would have later proceeded to Varanasi, Mathura and Vrindavan on a...

-Ahmedabad Mirror The Supreme Court on last Friday had issued notice to Gujarat government on a plea by an NGO seeking compensation to families of over 600 debt-ridden farmers who had allegedly committed suicide in the state from 2003 to 2012. However, information sought under the Right To Information Act by Mirror regarding the same from the Union Ministry of Agriculture revealed that between 2009 and 2013, no farmer had committed...

-PTI Chandigarh: The illegal practice of burning paddy stubble has been going on unabated in some parts of Punjab and Haryana despite a government ban on it causing air pollution and health-related issues, agri-experts said. According to Vice Chancellor of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Dr B S Dhillon, stubble burning is causing multiple problems that include affecting the soil health, besides causing environmental pollution. "Hazy weather was Witnessed recently which could have...