-The Hindu     The political executive and the permanent executive should realise they are public servants first and work in harmony to achieve the constitutional objectives There is a need to arrest the ‘laal batti' [red beacon] culture in public governance. The Supreme Court of India has been delivering a variety of judgments on matters of public governance, and these have been the subject of debate and discussion. Some of these related to...

-Press Information Bureau As on 30.09.2013, 13.40 lakh Anganwadi and mini-Anganwadi Centres (AWCs/ mini-AWCs) are functioning out of 13.75 lakh sanctioned AWCs/ mini-AWCs in the country. State-wise details are as given below. The aims and objectives of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme including AWCs are: i) to improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years; ii) to lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: It has been a year since Nirbhaya shook the country's conscience with her courage in the face of the brutal gang-rape on the night of December 16. However, the government is yet to shake off its lethargy and has not spent a rupee from the much-touted Rs 1,000-crore Nirbhaya fund. The fund was announced by the Centre with much fanfare in the Union Budget earlier this...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Supreme Court order upholding a 153-year-old law that effectively criminalises gay sex has ignored scientific evidence that homosexuality is not deviant in any sense, but merely a variation in human sexual behaviour, experts and lawyers have said. The court has virtually "brushed aside" submissions by medical experts that homosexuality is not a mental health disorder and should not be viewed as a criminal activity, said lawyers...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: An Indian government laboratory released a formulation of salt fortified with iodine and iron for mass consumption, calling it a tool to combat anaemia and iodine deficiency, without adequate and rigorous evidence to show that it increases blood haemoglobin levels, scientists have said. The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, has shared the formulation and production technology for its double fortified salt (DFS) with seven salt-producing companies, some...