-The Indian Express Swachh Bharat completes two years, but eliminating open defecation is a distant goal. October 2 marks the second anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Announcing a goal of eliminating open defecation by 2019 was a great idea, but now that we are 40 per cent through India’s flagship sanitation campaign, it is a good time to assess how much progress the SBM has made. Unfortunately, it is impossible...

-The Hindu Kerala Leads in household toilet coverage, three cities from Karnataka find place in the new list. Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh have the maximum percentage of villages that are ‘Open Defecation Free’ according to the criteria of the Swachh Bharat Mission. While the northeastern State scores a hundred per cent, as per the current tally, Himachal Pradesh scores 55.95 per cent. Other better performing States with village-level achievements are Haryana and Meghalaya with...

-The Hindu Today, as the Marrakesh Treaty comes into force, India’s multi-stakeholder approach to providing texts for the blind/print-disabled offers an excellent model for other countries to follow. Today is an important day for blind and other print-disabled people across the globe, as it marks the entry into force of an international treaty designed to help deliver specially adapted texts to those affected by a range of disabilities that interfere with the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh -- traditionally tagged as 'Bimaru' states -- have made major progress in urban municipal reforms in recent years, while Delhi has not submitted any claim of reforms. States such as Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, which have always performed better, Lead from the front again in the assessment by the urban development ministry. The assessment is based...

-DNA Say pictures of PM and other Leaders on homepage shows officials' 'indebtedness and gratitude' to political bosses The new Central Information Commission (CIC) website has come under the criticism of the Right to Information (RTI) applicants and activists. Calling it a bowing down of sorts, activists said it was a way of showing "indebtedness" to political masters. The homepage of new website, which has been launched just days ahead of the...