-Down to Earth   Study by non-profit in two blocks in Bihar's Patna district says delay in decision-making and reaching healthcare centres caused maximum maternal deaths A study of maternal deaths in two blocks of Patna district in Bihar says Access to free ambulance service would help to reduce such deaths. A majority of dalit and muslim women die during transit because of absence of free ambulance service, says the study by the...

-The New Indian Express THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was not passion or love for farming that made 63-year-old businessman Mamukkutti from Mayanad in Kozhikode district a full-time farmer. An unexpected surgery performed on him to control his cholesterol level forced him to limit his schedules within his house. "When doctors asked me to lead a stress-free life, I found farming to be the best option," says Mamukkutti with a wide grin. Gradually my...

-The Business Standard Since the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government decided to put on hold the Aadhaar-based subsidy transfer for domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), questions have been raised about the future of one of Congress' most ambitious initiatives aimed at plugging leakages. Two months after the government move, a pioneering study by economists Karthik Muralidharan, Paul Niehaus and Sandip Sukhtankar showed leakages dropped 12 per cent when smart cards were...

-SocialProgressImperative.org The 2014 Social Progress Index reveals striking differences across countries in their social performance, highlights the very different strengths and weaknesses of individual countries, and provides concrete guidance for national policy agendas. The Index is the sum of three dimensions: Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity. Each dimension is made up of four equally weighted individual components scored on an objective scale from 0-100. This scale is determined by...

-The Indian Express Data shows that the state is high on growth, low on development. What does this say about the government's priorities? No matter what the political leanings, many people have come to accept the premise that Gujarat has performed a lot better than the rest of India in terms of development over the last decade. People are even talking about the Gujarat model of development as something for the whole...