-Frontline   The United Nation's MDG report 2014 shows that despite India's significant economic progress, around one-third of the world's extremely poor people reside in the country. IT is raining development goals. As the period for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) draws to a close next year, discussions around these goals and what should replace them have reached fever pitch, with national governments, international organisations and representatives of civil society participating in them. Of...

-Al Jazeera More than 100 workers have died of starvation since West Bengal's tea estates have begun shutting down. Jalpaiguri/Alipurduar, India - The picturesque tea gardens carpeting West Bengal's Dooars region are gradually turning into graveyards, as dozens of workers have fallen victim to starvation in recent months. More than 100 tea-garden workers have died of starvation in the past year amid site closures, activists say - but rather than taking action, the...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Union health ministry is considering a plan to build an email repository of doctors across the country to directly reach out to them with information relating to healthcare, including standard guidelines to treat tuberculosis. The Medical Council of India estimates that India has over 600,000 practising doctors. "I expect most doctors today will have email (addresses)," health minister Harsh Vardhan today said. "Such an email repository would help...

-Down to Earth The true potential of the Fifth Schedule was diluted right at its conception Incontrovertibly, the object of creating the Fifth Schedule was to make a special instrument for the welfare and advancement of the Scheduled Tribes. It was formulated for the implementation of the Directive Principle that the State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of ...... the Schedules Tribes, and shall protect them from...

-Down to Earth Health department officials would interact with the public and elected representatives to understand and redress grievances relating to public health facilities If you are not getting the benefit of health schemes you are entitled to or local health establishments are showing casual approach, there is a forum for you to redress your grievance. Karnataka has launched the one-of-its-kind "health adalat" for such aggrieved persons on September 2. State health and family...