-Down to Earth More than 70 per cent of ailments were treated at private facilities in both rural and urban areas Data published by the National SAMple Survey Organization (NSSO) seems to confirm the concerns that public health experts have been raising so far. The report shows a steady decline in people availing health services at government-run centres and a corresponding increase in the use of private healthcare. Data for the report—Key Indicators...

SAMata started working in a small tribal hamlet in 1987 with a group of tribal and rural youth, to mobilize tribal communities against exploitation by outsiders and by government. SAMata was formally registered as a non government organization in 1990. SAMata operates across a broad spectrum of action, from organizing grassroots campaigns in the communities of north coastal Andhra Pradesh to creating international support networks of human rights and indigenous...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Two decades after launch, implementation of the midday meal scheme in Delhi seems to suffer from teething problems. CAG says the scheme is still not reaching all the children it's meant to cover, the meals do not meet the minimum quality requirements, the monitoring system is weak and service providers remain empanelled despite defaulting. Worryingly, some of the lacunae had been pointed out even in 2006,...

-The Indian Express The view of MGNREGA as a makeshift work programme is far off the mark. Few social programmes in India are more resented by the corporate sector than the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). This is easy to understand, considering that one of the primary aims of the MGNREGA is to empower workers and reduce their dependence on private employers. Naturally, employers see this as a threat...

-PTI New Delhi: Auditor CAG has pointed out discrepancies in the implementation of social welfare schemes including mid-day meal (MDM) and pulled up the Delhi government for its failure to obtain fund utilisation certificates from various institutions.   The auditor also criticised the performance of the Delhi tourism and transport development corporation, saying that it has failed to formulate a perspective plan for tourism promotion in the city despite 39 years of its...