-The Hindustan Times Bhopal: Kharauwa, a tiny hamlet 35 km northwest of Bhind district headquarters, looks like any other village in the country from the outside. But look deeper and the difference is apparent: very few female kids play in its lanes and bylanes. Dig deeper and the reason is not very difficult to fathom: Female infanticide and foeticide is rampant in this part of Madhya Pradesh and Bhind is notorious for its...

-The Indian Express In Gujarat, growth relies on indebtedness. And relegates development. The Gujarat pattern of development has often been arraigned from the left because of its social deficits. Indeed, the state's social indicators do not match its economic performance. With 23 per cent of its citizens living below the poverty line in 2010, Gujarat does better than the Indian average - 29.8 per cent - but it reduced this proportion by...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The goons and police can hang their heads in shame. Together, for once. The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha today with overwhelming support, with almost every speaker narrating how the police and criminals harass hawkers. The debate wove a tragic tale of exploitation and neglect of the poorest "entrepreneurs" of society while powerful support systems were available...

-The Hindu     Questioning a technology, especially of the kind that has serious unknowns and lacks clear social benefits, is not an attack on science Jairam Ramesh, former Environment Minister for India, made the brave decision in 2010 to tell his then apex regulator of genetically modified organisms (GEAC) that it had failed to properly use available science to determine the safety - to human health and the environment - of Bt brinjal,...

-Outlook Ahmedabad: Social activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar today told a local court that the attack during a public meeting at Sabarmati Ashram here after the 2002 riots was a part of a "conspiracy" to kill her. Patkar today deposed before Metropolitan Magistrate A S Desai, in connection with her complaint about the incident that took place eleven years ago. "I feel that this episode was a conspiracy to kill...