-The Indian Express The story of rice in India is complex, influenced as much by geography as by taste, faith, politics and contemporary nutrition science. But, after years of getting panned for being unhealthy, it is finally making its way back to the centre of the table. Is Basmati rice, with its pristinely white grain, the only variety that lends itself to making a biryani? It seems a rather silly question...

-The Hindu It is imperative to promote community-based care rather than relying only on hospital services The deaths of 154 children in Bihar due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) has laid bare the precarious capacity of the State’s healthcare apparatus to handle outbreaks. AES has been linked to two factors: litchi consumption by starving children and a long, ongoing heat wave. As promises of bolstering the health infrastructure are being made, it...

-The Telegraph The figure does not include the three deaths that took place this year, including that of Tabrez Ansari, 24 Ranchi: Seventeen of the 44 people lynched in the country between May 2015 and December 2018 were killed in Jharkhand, according to data collated by an NGO. The figure puts Jharkhand at the top of the heap of states where lynch mobs have struck, the small eastern state accounting for around 40...

-The Hindu The institution can play an important role in refreshing India’s fiscal federalism India’s Constitution-makers thought of India as a union of States with a centripetal bias, done, advisedly, to preserve the unity and integrity of a newly fledged nation. Since then, the Indian economy, polity, demography and society have undergone many changes. The new aspirational India is now firmly on a growth turnpike. It is in this context that we...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government is set to offer additional foodgrains at subsidised rates to offload massive stocks PILed up in granaries due to a liberal support price regime and also add a kilo of sugar to the monthly ration for beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Over the next few days, the Union Cabinet is expected to decide on providing additional 2 kg grains to every...