-Economic and Political Weekly The importance of hand-washing in personal and public hygiene has evolved over the centuries. While the market with its countless number of soaps and hand-wash products for personal hygiene with the accompanying advertising has created a false sense of security, it is community hygiene implemented through public health measures that is really effective in the battle against disease. Lekha D Bhat (lekhabhatd@gmail.com) teaches at the Department of Social...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Public health activists have asked the Union health ministry to reject a demand from an association of Indian doctors to exempt hospitals and clinics with accreditation from proposed rules to regulate the costs of services charged to patients. The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA, or People's Health Movement) has opposed a demand from the Indian Medical Association to the health ministry seeking exemption for accredited hospitals from the Clinical...

-The Times of India GUWAHATI: mizoram and Meghalaya are the two states in the country with the least gender gap, according to McKinsey Global Institute's (MGI) "The Power of Parity: Advancing Women Equality in India" report. The gender parity in the two northeastern states, along with that of Kerala, Goa, and Sikkim, are roughly in line with that of Argentina, China, or Indonesia, the report says. In contrast, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand,...

-DNA If we observe closely, the women entrepreneurs who run a variety of local small businesses are drivers of the local economy in many ways. Never ending stretches of backwaters and lush green coconut groves welcome you as you drive through the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is the only state in India where the sex ratio is of 1084 females per 1000 males. At 92%, Kerala has one of...

-Outlook Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) today said 93 per cent of adults in India voluntarily possess Aadhaar number as per a recent finding. "In a recent update, it is found that 93 per cent of the adult residents in India voluntarily possess Unique Identity – Aadhaar," UIDAI said in a press statement. In UIDAI assigned states/UTs, Aadhaar saturation among adult population is 98 per cent while in Registrar General of India...