-The Indian Express Linking it to ration cards ends up denying poor their rightful entitlements In September 2017, 11-year-old Santoshi, resident of Simdega district of Jharkhand, succumbed to starvation. According to her mother, she died “asking for rice, but there was not a single grain at home”. She was deprived of her subsidised ration as her family’s ration card was cancelled because it was not linked to Aadhaar. Marandi in Jharkhand met...

-Business Standard It's hurting the people, violating their fundamental rights, including the right to privacy and the right to life, and it's absurd Happy new year! The new year is traditionally our chance to reflect soberly on what a big PILe of doo-doo the previous year was. It’s a chance to admit that we stepped in poo, and there’s nothing to do but to hose off our shoes, and resolve to step...

-The Times of India AHMEDABAD: Gujarat, which has been witnessing a shortage of specialist doctors, especially in rural areas, has come up with a unique concept — 'Bal doctors (kid doctors)' will now look after children's wellness under the state's school health programme. Health department officials said a 'bal doctor' named Kajal Bhupatbhai Khant (11), a class 6 student at a government school in Navagam village of Arvalli district, has been nominated...

-PTI So far, the benefits of the scheme have reached 10,000 women approximately, says govt The Centre is trying to make the maternity benefit programme, which has been marred by delay, 'fully functional' by February-end, a senior official said on Monday. The top economists of the country wrote to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley last month flagging the delay in the rollout of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), which promises pregnant and...

-The Financial Express The Odisha experience shows that PDS can play a pivotal role in bringing convergence and making India’s two important missions—food and nutrition security—successful in a short time. New Delhi: India’s public distribution system (PDS) is the largest food security programme in the world, which covers nearly 60% of the population and costs Rs 1.45 trillion—close to 1.4% of the national income. PDS has often been criticised for its structure,...