-PTI   Kohima: Gariphema village in Nagaland has been declared the country's first "tobacco-free village". The declaration was made by principal secretary R Benchilo Thong on the occasion of "World No Tobacco Day" on Saturday at the Gariphema village council hall. It was result of an initiative taken by the Gariphema village council, Village Vision Cell and Village Students' Union, Thong said. A resolution was taken at the village that whoever sells alcohol and tobacco...

-Live Mint   Despite its importance, reform of India's legal institutions has been seen as a ‘second order' issue India is a young nation long ruled by old laws-its police, for example, are governed by such colonial-era statutes as the Police Act of 1861, which predates independence by nearly a century. And its expanding economy requires forward-looking regulatory mechanisms to foster markets while curbing crony capitalism. India is also a nation that must...

The National Foundation for India is an independent, Indian grant-making and fundraising body, helping people improve their own lives. We make a difference by supporting partners who look for solutions to complex problems in poor, remote and challenging parts of the country. NFI believes that India can develop meaningfully only when social equity and justice are guaranteed and a sense of respect for our fellow humans is achieved. NFI uses...

-The Business Standard   A seven-point agenda to fix India's public services, and overcome poorly designed systems India's Achilles Heel remains its inability to deliver public services. India's aspiration to be a global economic power will be unrealised if this remains unsolved. Why is this problem so particularly acute? Is it political interference and corruption, poorly designed programmes and weak administration? Or a much deeper cultural problem of aversion to collective action, often...

-Live Mint   Strong political commitment is needed to build a system of universal health coverage and better regulations   Life expectancy in India has more than doubled since independence, to 65 years, from just 32 in 1950. The infant mortality rate has been cut by two-thirds since 1971. Smallpox and guinea worm have been eradicated, the spread of HIV/AIDS has been contained, and the World Health Organization has declared India polio-free.   Yet for all...