-The Hindu Silicosis deaths in Rajasthan mines leave behind a trail of young widows The Karauli-Dholpur-Bharatpur mining belt in eastern Rajasthan, which produces the country's best quality red sandstone, also has the largest number of young widows, most of them below 40 years. The older ones were widowed some decades ago, and worse, young girls almost see their future unfold before them. The common link: they were married to miners who died of...

-The Hindu The deaths of Chaiti Bai and other women after a botched tubectomy in Chhattisgarh are an opportunity to reflect on the problems India faces in the pursuit of modernity and global status, especially in health and education A sudden death always has great pedagogical value. The death of Chaiti Bai, a Baiga tribal woman, following a botched tubectomy at a mass sterilisation camp in Chhattisgarh recently, can improve our perspective...

-IPS News Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin is the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund UNITED NATIONS: The tragic deaths and injuries of women following sterilisation in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh have sparked global media coverage and public concern and outrage. Now we must ensure that such a tragedy never occurs again. The women underwent surgery went with the best intentions - hoping they were doing the right thing for themselves and...

-The Indian Express The aftermath of the terrible deaths of women who underwent sterilisation surgeries in Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh has been full of stories about what actually happened. Spurious drugs and an overenthusiastic doctor who cut corners on ensuring quality vie for immediate blame. Beyond these, many have spoken about pervasive biases of gender and caste that wreak havoc on the lives of poor women, and also of family planning policies...

-The Times of India PATNA: Though Bihar has witnessed a steady decline in neonatal mortality rate (NMR) in recent years, it accounts for second highest total number of neonatal deaths in India. With NMR at 28, the state accounts for 11 per cent neonatal deaths in the country. NMR is defined as death of infants (within one month of birth) per 1,000 live births. Incidentally, every year around 30 lakh live births...