-Press release by National Alliance of Peoples' Movements  dated 28 November, 2019 In yet another of its egregious legislative misadventures, the BJP Government with support from some other parties, passed the regressive 'Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights)' Bill, in the Rajya Sabha yesterday, despite wide-spread opposition by members of the transgender, intersex and gender non-confirming communities, seeking referral of the Bill to a Select Committee. We have all been witness to...

-The Telegraph With malnutrition levels as bad as sub-Saharan African countries, a vegetarian diet is just an imposition for Indians Indian cuisine is not a homogenous entity, and food habits differ along regional, religious, caste, and class lines. Yet there is an assumption in dominant discourses that India is a vegetarian nation. According to Dr Veena Shatrugna, former Director, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderbad, contrary to any such assumption, about 80 per...

-Hindustan Times The better performing states and UTs are Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh. Nearly 4% of the one lakh food and beverage samples analysed by the states and Union Territories last year were unsafe, about 16% were sub-standard and 9% were mislabelled, shows data released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). This is the first time that...

-Down to Earth Treatment of cardiovascular diseases cost a bomb in rural India Among all ailments, it is infections that are making Indians the most sick. And, this is true for both, rural and urban areas, according to latest study of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). These infections INClude malaria, viral hepatitis / jaundice, acute diarrhoeal diseases / dysentery, dengue fever, chikungunya, measles, acute encephalitis syndrome, typhoid, hookworm infection filariasis, tuberculosis and...

-Business Standard Serious INConsistencies in data make revenue projection problematic States will need to be compensated for their revenue shortfall under goods and services tax (GST) even after 2022 — the sunset year for compensation under the law — because of slow revenue growth, a report commissioned by the 15th Finance Commission (FC) has noted. It shows that states would require compensation of at least Rs 1.67 trillion in 2024-25, because none of...