-Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) This publication highlights a range of pertinent issues primarily focusing on social sectors (such as education, health, drinking water and sanitation, food security etc.) and the responsiveness of the Union Budget towards the vulnerable sections of the population, (such as, women, Children, dalits, adivasis, religious minorities, persons with disabilities and the Urban Poor). In addition, a number of important issues pertaining to taxation, renewable...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked the ministries of social justice and health and family welfare to respond to a plea to set up homes for senior citizens across the country because "over-ambitious" Children were increasingly neglecting their aged parents. Justices Madan B. Lokur and U.U. Lalit, however, refrained from issuing notices to the Centre, states and Union territories on three other pleas: a national commission for senior citizens,...

-The Indian Express Little over a month ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme from Panipat with much fanfare. On Saturday, his government slashed the allocation for the Women and Child Development Ministry by more than 50% from last year's allocation. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allocated Rs 10,382 crore for the ministry. Last year, the allocation was Rs 21,193 crore of which the ministry managed...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Finance minister Arun Jaitley today promised gifts for Children, women, patients and the poor but slashed his government's funding across the social sectors. Budget outlays for education, health, rural development, social justice and women and Children have fallen sharply or remain close to the outlays these sectors had received last year. The allocation for Children under the women and child development ministry witnessed the sharpest fall from last...

-Economic and Political Weekly Since independence, India's national health policies have been aspirational but the end results have been limited. The National Health Policy 2015, which is in the process of being finalised, should, in place of the earlier "broadband" approach, adopt a "narrow focus" on primary healthcare through the National Rural Health Mission. The latter has focused on primary healthcare and has shown visible results. A slew of suggestions as...