-The Hindu The supporting props offered for the striking down of Section 66A diminish the arrogance of government and reinstate the ‘genuine' rule of law. Reading the judgment, one is tempted to ask this question: Is it a landmark judgment or just a great one? To appreciate the difference between "great" and "landmark", it is necessary to begin with some very fine distinctions. A great judgment is one that restores the constitutional...
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No one’s children -Neerja Chowdhury
-The Indian Express The most important priority for any government in India today should be the health and nutrition of its children. This is a matter of emergency. In many ways, it is more important than even education. Why then has an otherwise sensitive finance minister slashed the budget in the health and nutrition sectors so badly? The budgetary allocations on health and nutrition programmes for children, who are the most vulnerable,...
More »Aayog follows Gujarat on child tracker -Ananya Sengupta
-The Telegraph New Delhi: The government's new policy think-tank is set to launch its social sector plans with a scheme for women and children, tracking an expectant mother's first visit to a doctor till the tiny form that has stirred to life inside her completes primary school. Officials said the Niti Aayog, which recently replaced the Planning Commission, had decided on the Aadhaar-based project when it met for the first time this...
More »Empower, don’t patronise, the farmer -Maitreesh Ghatak and Parikshit Ghosh
-The Indian Express The government's attempt to amend the UPA's land acquisition law is facing stiff resistance in Parliament and outside. The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013, combined three different approaches to resolve conflict over land. One is to let money speak. It increased compensation amounts significantly. The second is to let farmers speak. Projects involving private companies had to earn the consent of 80 per cent of...
More »One in 10 Indians depressed, don’t ignore subtle symptoms -Malathy Iyer
-The Times of India MUMBAI: Extreme weepiness and severe melancholy are not the only calling cards of depression, a serious mental disorder that roughly affects 10% of the population. Doctors say the symptoms could be subtler or of a lower degree - a sudden habit of rash driving, making mean observations or even showing perpetual irritability. As it emerges that Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who reportedly crashed a plane into the French...
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