-The Hindu India ranks among the lowest in the world in public spending on health, but the private spending is one of the highest. The National Sample Survey Organisation’s report (2006) shows over 35 per cent of people who are hospitalised fall below the poverty line because of the expenses that follow, and over 40 per cent have to borrow or sell assets to pay for their care. Private sector provision...

-Deccan Herald Complaints of discriminatory practices flood the task force The recently formed Right to education (RTE) task force has received a barrage of complaints related to discriminatory practices by schools in the State. The task force was formed by the Karnataka Child Rights Observatory (KCRO) to redress grievances of parents and children admitted under RTE Act. The letters and calls received from parents and students so far have been an eye-opener for the task...

-The Hindustan Times Amid the din of the discordant notes in Parliament and outside on scams, a significant decision by the Union cabinet went almost unnoticed. Earlier this week, the Cabinet amended the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act (CLPRA), 1986, and renamed it as the Child and Adolescent Labour Prohibition Act (CALPA). When Parliament passes the important amendments, CALPA, along with the Right to education (RTE) Act, it is likely...

-The Hindu The Planning Commission’s draft 12th Plan for health has attracted much debate and controversy. Critics have been quick to direct their attention at two issues in it — the proposed increase in government health spending from one per cent to 1.58 per cent of GDP, and the “managed care model.” The spending increase was rightly felt to be grossly inadequate to move India towards achieving universal health care. The...

Rural India is not just embracing mobile telephony, it is also warming up to the internet. According to the latest report by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the number of people from rural regions accessing internet rose 73 per cent in the last two years. The report, ‘Internet in Rural India’, prepared by IAMAI and the Indian Market Research Bureau, states rural India has 38 million claimed internet users...