-The Times of India CHENNAI: Srinidhi (name changed), a housewife, donated a part of her liver to her husband a few years ago. Even though she has no complications and is perfectly healthy, she was surprised to find that insurance companies rejected her application for comprehensive health cover. "Insurance companies don't ask if you have donated an organ. The application forms ask if there is a scar of the body and the...

A report by a parliamentary standing committee entrusted to examine the National Food Security Bill, 2011 has revived the debate on what measures India must take to end its abysmal track record of hunger and malnutrition, (See several links given below) despite successive years of high growth and record grain procurement. The draft legislation is likely to be debated in the upcoming session of Parliament, even as the recent Jaipur...

-The Hindu Only 75% of MGNREGS workers have been enrolled; many without Aadhaar number denied access to benefits GOLLAPROLU (EAST GODAVARI, AP): The popular tagline for the Aadhaar-linked Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) is Aam aadmi ka paisa, aam aadmi ke haath (People’s money in their own hands). The DBT pilot project was launched in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh earlier this month, with Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh hailing the scheme...

-The Telegraph The Centre is poised to launch a pilot project to study the delivery of food subsidy through direct cash transfer, a proposed system that civil society groups feel will end up inconveniencing the poor beneficiaries. The food and consumer affairs ministry will start the pilot scheme in the six Union territories next month, a top government source told The Telegraph. Now, households buy food grains at subsidised rates (called the “central...

-The Hindu Turmoil took over the pre-trial proceedings of the Delhi gang rape trial on Monday when some lawyers objected to a few advocates coming forward to defend the accused. The disruptions did not die down even after Metropolitan Magistrate Namrita Aggarwal entered the courtroom at 12.30 p.m., when the five accused were to be produced. Advocate Manohar Lal Sharma said the relatives of some of the accused had asked him...