-The Hindustan Times In 2009, when India had its worst drought in three decades in terms of rainfall, the country managed to produce a million more tonnes of foodgrains than it did in 2007, a normal year. Droughts, such as the one that has now settled in nearly half of the country, are no longer the disaster they used to be, thanks to one of the world's most efficient drought management systems.   Largely indigenous...

-The Hindu The Planning Commission’s perspective on universal health care causes concern Current deliberations in the Planning Commission about actualizing universal health care in the Twelfth Five Year Plan, have invited concerns. There has been a marked thrust on state-funded insurance as opposed to a genuine effort on the government’s part to rebuild public health systems, something that has been a globally time-tested system to ensure health for all. The ongoing discussions are...

-The Economic Times The crisis of the euro, a current account deficit of over 4%, double-digit inflation, corruption in governance and a failing political system. It would not be unfair to say that these factors have combined in varying degrees at different times to lead to the conclusion that the globally-acclaimed India growth story seems to be heading for an unhappy ending. Many have labelled this - unfairly, I think - as...

IRONY RUNS its play every year in India as food grains rot in godowns while 23 crore people go hungry every day. GOI Monitor talks to food and trade policy analyst Devinder Sharma on the issues stalking agriculture and public distribution    One of the reasons for surplus food not reaching the needy is that states are not picking up the grain. Why is this happening? Food grain procurement and distribution is...

-The Hindu Deal to ensure bail for Gali Janardhan Reddy struck for a whopping Rs. 20 crore, say sources As the enquiry into the cash-for-bail scam involving the former Karnataka Minister, Gali Janardhan Reddy, entered a crucial phase with the arrest of the retired judge, T.V. Chalapathi Rao, and another person, the big question before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is whether the accused had a larger design than merely securing the bail...