-The Hindu   Where prison facilities are not equipped to deal with the specific needs of persons with disabilities, arrest and detention in custody should be a measure of last resort We have a slew of cases around prisoners' rights that emphasise their right to dignity and their right against cruel and degrading punishment, which have been understood to violate the right to life, guaranteed by Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. In...

-Live Mint   If anything, the UPA has been punished by the voters for moving away from its core agenda of entitlement-based politics The victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2014 elections will remain a watershed moment for Indian democracy in many ways than one. Coming at a time when the economy is in a serious mess, the victory of the BJP and the defeat of the Congress party and...

-The Business Standard   A seven-point agenda to fix India's Public Services, and overcome poorly designed systems India's Achilles Heel remains its inability to deliver Public Services. India's aspiration to be a global economic power will be unrealised if this remains unsolved. Why is this problem so particularly acute? Is it political interference and corruption, poorly designed programmes and weak administration? Or a much deeper cultural problem of aversion to collective action, often...

-The Indian Express   According to the I&B ministry, DD and AIR were paid Rs 45.67 crore for advertisements and advertorials run under the campaign.   As a last push to help the UPA wade through the elections, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting employed the entire media machinery at its disposal, including Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR), to tom-tom the government's welfare and development initiatives.   Besides paying for direct advertising spots and...

-The United Nations   Road traffic injuries, HIV/AIDS and suicide are the top killers of adolescents globally, while depression is the predominant cause of illness and disability, the United Nations reported today, urging a stronger focus on the health of boys and girls in their pre- and teen years. "We hope this report will focus high-level attention on the health needs of 10 to 19-year-olds and serve as a springboard for accelerated action...