The country is set to emulate Gujarat in tracking pregnant women and children on a continuing basis through a constant monitoring of their health, nutrition and immunisation profile. Twenty-three officials of health and family welfare departments and National Informatics Centre (NIC) from eight states are participating in a three-day training workshop to familiarise themselves with the Gujarat Model of what is now popularly known as 'E-Mamta', an official spokesperson said here...

Food Corporation of India (FCI) has tied up with a few banks for direct payment to farmers for the grains to be procured in the kharif marketing season 2010-11. "We are firm on our stand and we will try to put direct payment system to farmers into operation from the coming paddy procurement season," a senior official of FCI told media here. FCI has made arrangements with the State Bank...

When noted economist Jean Dreze visited Surguja in Chhattisgarh a decade ago, its utterly non-functional Public Distribution System (PDS) looked like especially “designed to fail.” The National Advisory Committee member has written in a recent article that the ration shop owners illegally sold the grain meant for the poor and “hunger haunted the land.” But that was then. The economist was pleasantly shocked to see the transformation this time. “Ten years...

The chief minister Ashok Gehlot said information technology (IT) is an effective tool to deliver sensitive, transparent and responsible administration which would reduce chances of corruption through transparency. Gehlot was addressing participants at the inauguration of the two-day e-Governance Leadership Meet at sms Convention Centre on Wednesday. The meet has been organised for the state's political and policy officials under the national e-governance programme with the help of the National...

We need to make sure nutrition is not easily neglected. And that means putting pressure on leaders throughout society to focus on nutrition. I have just finished a trip to India to help contribute to the efforts on ending malnutrition. The politicians and media were talking about the sparkling new economic growth and development figures. There was no such attention given to the “other” growth and development figures — those related...