-IANS Discussed on the interim outcomes of a pilot project initiated in October 2012 to address their social exclusion Policy makers, experts and civil society representatives met here Tuesday to discuss the social inclusion of sex workers and transgenders in three high-prevalence HIV states - Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The meet was jointly hosted by the National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW) and the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR). The...

The more things change, the more they remain the same. Probably, this can be said about the ‘Sample Registration System Statistical Report 2012', which carries the latest figures on the social sector by far. The report has provided some interesting trends in child mortality indicators for India and its bigger states during 2012 (see the links below). It says that states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, which have consistently...

-The Hindu There is little transparency in the regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi Earlier this week, acting on behalf of the Delhi government, the Chief Minister wrote a letter to the President asking for a probe against the former Chief Minister, reportedly for "alleged irregularities in the regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi". This follows the Delhi Lokayukta's finding in November 2013 that the "issuance of the PRC [provisional regularisation certificates]...

-Live Mint Rural livelihoods have improved because of MGNREGA. It is wrong to say the scheme has not worked If some recent news articles are to be believed, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a scheme that costs less than 0.35% of India's gross domestic product (GDP), has crashed the country's economy. The latest to join this bandwagon of criticism is an editorial in Mint. ("MGNREGA: A tale...

-The Telegraph Nagpur: The cabbage and cauliflower came to fruition today; the sunflower, the chrysanthemum, the mustard and the coriander flowered through last week, one by one. It was timed that way - to mark a revival and, possibly, a retirement. When India's biggest carnival of farmers was opened today after a gap of over half a century, there was also a feeling that perhaps a spectacular farewell was being given to Sharad...