-Outlook The BJP government needs to understand that "vikas" means growth and development, not growth alone. The new government that came to power with the promise of "vikas" has launched an unrelenting attack on social welfare programmes and legislations. In October 2014, there was a rumour that NREGA would be restricted to some districts. Though the changes proposed have not been implemented, NREGA is in danger of dying a slow death...

-The Hindu Just 39 of the 568 Ministers in State govts are women When no women joined Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal in taking the oath of office on Saturday, Delhi joined the ranks of seven other States with no women Ministers. In the rest of the States too, women representation in the Ministries is low, and often restricted to certain portfolios. With all State Assemblies put together, 360 of the country's...

-The Hindu ‘When the mother is under-nourished, children are 1.8 times more likely to be severely malnourished' The level of malnourishment is high among children whose parents migrate in search of livelihood. Inherent malnourishment in mothers, lack of food and nutrition security, feeding and dietary practices and illnesses are some of the reasons identified for high levels of malnourishment. A study ‘Understanding hunger and malnutrition among high migrant communities' conducted in south rajasthan...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: India's plans to expand solar energy 30-fold to 100,000MW in seven years could create more than a million new jobs but demand chunks of land cumulatively larger than the metro areas of Calcutta or Delhi, an environment think-tank has said. An analysis by the Delhi-based Council on Energy Environment and Water has suggested that the plan to raise installed solar energy capacity from the current 3,000MW to 100,000MW...

-The Hindu Jaipur: Opposing the proposed insurance-based model of health care for those covered under the National Food Security Act, civil society groups have asked rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to reconsider the decision as this would mean compromising and sidelining the immensely successful free medicines and free diagnostics schemes already operational in the State. "Given the complex socio-economic dynamics of the population, complete non-adherence to standard treatment protocols by the doctors,...