-Scroll.in Possibly to woo voters, the state government started the Hausla Poshan Yojana last year that lasted only two months. On a cold January morning in Ayadhnagar village in Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur district, a group of 10 children huddled around a bonfire outside their anganwadi centre. Despite the warmth of the fire, they shivered. The bare and dusty centre did not have mats for them to sit on and some of...

-Scroll.in In a harvest-less January, the state's farming community can only count its losses. We’re here to ensure the well-being of Tamil Nadu’s farmers. That refrain was heard repeatedly last week as protestors across the state demanded that the ban on the bull-taming sport of jallikattu. The exertions through which the bulls were put, allowed farmers to identify the most virile animals, the argument went, and was vital for ensuring the survival...

-Scroll.in India’s first chief statistician, Pronab Sen, is now country director of the International Growth Centre, which seeks to build effective growth facilities through engagement between policymakers and researchers. In this interview to Scroll.in, he speaks on the 50 days of demonetisation, its failings, its severe impact on the poor, the loss of credibility of the Reserve Bank of India, the push to make India a cashless or less-cash economy, and...

-Deccan Herald System overhaul: Transparency measures with strong accountability mechanisms can usher in change The National Food Security Act (NFSA) passed in 2013 gives statutory backing to the Public Distribution System (PDS). Up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population is entitled to receive food grain under the Act. Beneficiaries are categorised into priority households, entitled to 5 kg of subsidised grains per person per month, and Antyodaya...

-The Hindu Gopal Singh of Lamdegadh hamlet, which crowns a hill of Chamoli district near the Kumaon-Garhwal border, has to walk 8 km to reach the nearest motorable road. Chamoli (Uttarakhand): In sleepy Uttarakhand villages, tucked away inside lush green forests far from motorable roads, there has been a sudden burst of activity for a few days now as people rush out of their houses in the early hours each day, hoping...