-The Hindu Business Line Supplementary nutrition scheme to be standardised New Delhi: The flagship Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), which aims to provide nutritious food to children aged 0-6, is being revamped and may be standardised to address the issue of “high” malnutrition. As per the Global Nutrition Report, 39 per cent of children (0-5 years) in India are stunted, much higher than the global Average of 24 per cent. Tackling malnutrition The Women &...

-Bloomberg.com   Millionaire farmers are benefiting from measures intended to help poor farmers.   Stuffed animal heads adorn the walls of Kunwar Vikram Jeet Singh’s mansion on the outskirts of Delhi, and he also owns a three-bedroom apartment in a gated condominium in the city. His children go to one of India’s most exclusive private schools. Yet Singh doesn’t pay income tax because he’s a farmer. Singh is one of thousands of rich landowners who...

-The Times of India New Delhi: More than 30% of the ministers, in the enlarged council of ministers, have criminal cases pending against them while nearly all are crorepatis, according to analysis by Association for Democratic Reforms. About 24 of the 78 have declared criminal cases while 14 (18%) have serious criminal cases like rape, attempt to murder, communal disharmony, electoral violations against them. Out of the 78 ministers, 72 (92%) are crorepatis...

-The Times of India Bamnipal/ Sukinda: Between March and June this year, at least 12 children died in Nagada village, located in the forests of Odisha's Jajpur district. The underlying reason for their deaths was malnutrition, local medical authorities and community workers said. The village population is solely of the Juang scheduled tribe, one of India's ancient tribes, declared 'particularly vulnerable' by the government. For the past two months, a chicken pox...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Free health-care services during childbirth remain a pipe dream for most of India's poor, whether it relates to diagnostic tests, medicines, transport or even food, despite the Union health ministry launching a "free entitlements" programme five years ago. The families of most women who seek childbirth in government hospitals are forced to pay for supposedly "free" services, at times experiencing catastrophic expenditures likely to accentuate their poverty, two...