Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is often feted for development work. But it seems the progress has not reached the remote, rural areas of the state — certainly not the tribal district of Jhabua. At least 46 children have reportedly died of malnutrition and starvation in the district since last October. But the authorities refuse to even acknowledge the problem, let alone take any action. Most of the deaths have been...

India’s private sector banks are busy drawing up plans to attack public sector banks in their backyard—rural India—by opening hundreds of new branches. They don’t need to seek the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) nod any more to open branches in smaller towns and large villages, the so-called tier III to VI centres with population below 50,000. The Indian central bank has also permitted private and public sector banks to...

JODHPUR: At least 17 people were killed and 30 others were feared trapped or drowned after an under-construction bridge collapsed in Kota late Thursday, officials said Friday. The accident occurred when the bridge under construction over the Chambal river in Rajasthan collapsed. The site of the accident was around 350 kilometres (220 miles) from Jodhpur. "Rescue teams have found 17 bodies trapped between the collapsed bridge and many labourers are...

  KEY TRENDS   • The report entitled Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana: An Assessment from the Centre for Science and Environment (released on 21 July, 2017) finds that PMBY is not beneficial for farmers in vulnerable regions. For farmers in vulnerable regions such as Bundelkhand and Marathwada, factors like low indemnity levels, low threshold yields, low sum insured and default on loans make PMFBY a poor scheme to safeguard against extreme weather events. CSE's...

  Chittorgarh shows the way to affordable healthcare—generic drugs at cost price How Chittorgarh Did It * Orders passed saying doctors in government hospitals must prescribe generic medicines only * Strict checks to ensure only generic drugs are prescribed unless absolutely necessary; ad campaign too * Cooperative asked to procure generic medicines and supply them through a network of 16 stores * Tenders invited by the cooperative, most bids far lower than currently retailing. Pre-selected companies...