-The Hindu Decade after a Bombay HC order to increase farmer suicide compensation, State still pays affected kin only Rs 1 lakh. It’s been a decade since the Bombay High Court passed an order asking the State government to increase the Rs 1 lakh compensation given to families of farmers who commit suicide. However, Maharashtra has disbursed that same amount to 1000 farmer families over the last three years. The State informed the...

-The Hindu The public health care system, if adequately funded, is still the better alternative in a developing and complex country like India The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), by consensus, has adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of objectives meant to improve the lives of millions of poor in the world. Among these, access to quality health care and freedom from disease is of paramount importance in helping societies...

-CounterView.net In an incident which has created a flutter among Right to Information (RTI) activists across India, goonda elements, said to be close to a BJP legislator in Rajasthan have brutally attacked the 100-day Accountability or Jawabdehi Yatra, begun by Magsaysay Award winner and pioneer of the RTI Act Aruna Roy. The incident took place in Aklera area of Zalawad district, which falls into Manoharthana constituency. According to eye-witnesses, MLA Kanwar Lala...

Representatives of around 20 civil society organizations and NGOs met the Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley as part of pre-budget consultation on social sector on 12 January, 2016. Immediately after the pre-budget consultation, a press conference was held by some of these organizations to convey the media persons what demands/ suggestions were made.   Subrat Das, Executive Director of Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA, http://www.cbgaindia.org/) informed us that during...

-Business Standard Allocation boost likely for schemes on agriculture, irrigation, rural roads In a move to boost rural consumption and alleviate distress in the hinterland, the government is likely to give an allocation push in Budget 2016 to programmes on irrigation, rural roads, soil health cards and agriculture. According to officials, the Union Budget for 2016-17 could see a significant increase in allocation to marquee programmes like the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana,...