-Press release by Common Cause dated 27th August, 2019     New Delhi, August 27, 2019: Common Cause and Lokniti Programme of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), launched the Status of Policing in India Report (SPIR) 2019 on the tough working conditions of the police in India at the India International Centre today. The release was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Indian Police and the Rule of...

In the financial year 2017-18 when tractor sales touched new heights, it was said by many of the NDA (viz. National Democratic Alliance) government supporters that rural demand has revived on account of adequate monsoon rainfall and higher minimum support prices for crops. Many economists and newspaper columnists also denied the existence of any rural distress. An alternative perspective, however, was also presented by rural economists like Dr. Himanshu who teaches...

  In the month of June this year, encephalitis related deaths in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district grabbed the headlines. Actually, most of the children, who were admitted or died at Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), hailed from East Champaran, Vaishali, Sitamarhi and Samastipur apart from Muzaffarpur. Unfortunately, till recently official data on the number of cases and deaths related to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) was unavailable for...

-The Economic Times Registrar General of India will ask UIDAI to verify biometric data of individuals NEW DELHI: The Registrar General of India will ask the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to verify biometrics of individuals for inclusion in the recently revived National Population Register (NPR) programme, instead of collecting them afresh. A senior home ministry official told ET that this puts an end to the debate on which agency has primacy...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Census 2021 will for the first time seek information from households on smartphones, DTH/Cable TV connection, internet access, number of members of households having bank accounts, ownership of house other than the rented accommodation of a household, bottled water availability and mobile number as part of the houselisting procedure. Importantly, the latest census, as per the existing plan, will not collect caste data. While the socio-economic...