-The Hindu State has sanctioned Rs. 43.75 lakh for Perambalur district Tamil Nadu: An intensive fodder development programme will be implemented in the district in irrigated and rainfed areas through a comprehensive programme. The government has sanctioned Rs. 43.75 lakh for this special scheme for 2014-15. Special agricultural implements with a focus on water harvesting strategy will be distributed among farmers and cultivators. Fodder with more protein content to enhance the weight of the livestock...

-The Indian Express India's expenditure on vaccines should count as sound investment in a healthy future. Plans by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce four new vaccines to India's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) have been welcomed across the globe as one of the most significant leaps in India's public health policy in 30 years, and rightly so. These vaccines are currently available in India only on the private market, beyond the reach...

-Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) The paper examines the restructuring of expenditure in the first budget of the new government, and its feasibility. It compares the increase in budget allocations for key macroeconomic aggregates and sectoral plan outlays for the BJP and UPAII interim budget, and the change from the interim budget. Although overall tactics are aligned to the strategy articulated, the alignment is only marginal as yet, because...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: When it comes to healthcare, some are more equal than others for the government. Under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) which covers central government employees, including serving and retired babus, current and ex-members of Parliament and the judiciary, the annual per capita expenditure is more than Rs 5,000. In contrast, the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), which caters to the rural masses, spends just...

-The Economic Times The rationale for embedding nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programmes in a development agenda is compelling. And yet, strangely, it has been ignored. Planning and implementation of such programmes require collaborative, consistent and aligned effort across multiple sectors. Currently, we have a myopic vision to pursue narrow agendas. Transformational change requires tackling one of the most obdurate challenges: malnutrition. This blight has a large human impact and a larger economic impact...