-The Telegraph We are facing angry women who shout at us saying they don’t have the money to get LPG refills, says MLA Reports of voter discontent stemming from the rising prices of essential goods and services, from food grains and cooking gas to mobile top-ups, have caused concern among BJP election managers in the five poll-bound states. Four of these states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur — are ruled directly...

-The Hindu Education and exposure to a community health worker too score higher than age of marriage in accessing a facility, says study. Poverty, education, and exposure to a community health worker are more important than age at marriage in determining whether a mother will be able to have a safe birth in a medical facility, according to a first-of-its-kind study on utilisation of institutional delivery in the country. The research comes at...

-The Hindu  It would be better off with few comprehensive national surveys than being over-dependent on the omnibus NFHS In a country perennially thirsty for reliable health data, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is like an oasis. It has a large volume of data that is openly accessible. The report of the fifth round of the NFHS was recently released (covering phase 2 States where data collection was delayed due to...

-Newslaundry.com Report also mentions the ‘11 journalism rules’ giving rise to censorship and impacting press freedom. Sixty percent of media employees have not been able to work and 84 percent of women journalists have lost their jobs since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in August, according to a report released by Reporters Without Borders and Afghan Independent Journalists Association. The report also stated that 43 percent of Afghan media outlets have disappeared. Compared...

-Down to Earth Most of the victims were targeted for “causing health issues or crop failure” Witch-hunts are still highly prevalent in 12 of Odisha’s 30 districts — especially Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam — a new report has claimed. Most victims of such superstitious practices were targeted for “causing health issues or crop failure”. Around 27 per cent cases were triggered by health issues in children, 43.5 per cent by...