-Hindustan Times After Tamil Nadu’s pioneering Amma canteens, many states have started community kitchens, such as Karnataka’s Indira Canteens. This is a welcome development. The first coverage of the recently inaugurated “Indira canteens” in Karnataka that I noticed were two reports on television channels. Both were poking fun (justifiably) at Rahul Gandhi’s goofy speech at the launch. Sadly though, neither commented on the rationale or importance of the Karnataka government’s initiative. This...

-Hindustan Times Swadeshi Jagran Manch says programme to distribute dietary supplement packets to fight malnourishment benefits private players New Delhi: RSS’s offshoot Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) has urged the government to not rely on dietary supplement packets to help malnourished children since it will benefit large corporations. The SJM said the programme to begin ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) begun in BJP-ruled Rajasthan and Maharashtra has proved to be an “expensive and unsustainable” exercise. More...

-Livemint.com India’s healthcare challenges are daunting but the challenges seem to be most acute in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state The recent deaths of more than 70 children in less than a week’s span at the BRD Medical College Hospital have focused attention on the deep-seated rot in the hospital, and in Gorakhpur district in general. But far from being an under-performer in terms of health and development outcomes, Gorakhpur...

-The Hindu Business Line New Delhi: As floods continue ravage large parts of the country, Uma Bharti, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, on Saturday reviewed the situation and the action being taken at the national level. After the meeting, Bharti announced that she would visit Uttar Pradesh and Bihar next week, according to an official release. “The Minister will visit Uttar Pradesh on 21st August and Bihar on...

-TheWire.in Instead of waiting for all the data to come in and making an apples-with-apples comparison, are different numbers being thrown at the public in order to make a political point about the ‘success’ of demonetisation? On August 18, the Ministry of Finance issued a clarification about the number of tax payers that had been added post-demonetisation, hoping to set at rest the confusion – and skepticism – that had resulted from...