-The Hindu The UPA seems to have forgotten that the country's trade commitments, including to the WTO, stand in the way of its implementing the Food Security Ordinance The last time I began an essay with the words "in this era of globalisation," in high school, even my teacher winced at the cliché. In junking the phrase, however, we may have forgotten its Import too. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) certainly seems...
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Women need accurate information, support to promote breastfeeding, says UN agency
-The United Nations The United Nations health agency today called for ensuring that women have accurate information and support regarding the Importance of breastfeeding, after a new report found that only 1 in 5 countries fully implement international guidelines about the marketing of breast-milk substitutes. "Nearly all mothers are physically able to breastfeed and will do so if they have accurate information and support," said Carmen Casanovas, breastfeeding expert with the Department...
More »Cut Off At The Bottom -Raghav Gaiha
-Outlook The anti-poverty programme politics dictate that the number of poor are kept low. I don't think the Planning Commission's poverty numbers are credible for several reasons: growth has decelerated; NREGA hasn't been as successful in targeting the poor as generally asserted; nor has the PDS benefited the poor significantly. The first phase of the UPA saw some macroeconomic reforms but not the second phase. Also, the poverty lines worked out...
More »The capable state -Gulzar Natarajan
-The Indian Express No magic pill solution or quick fix can make up for basic administrative deficiencies In a review of Jean Drèze and Amartya Sen's latest book in the Financial Times (July 12, 2013), historian Ramachandra Guha questions whether the Indian state is "up to the job of doing more to tackle poverty". Mainstream debates about the persistence of poverty and pervasive failures in public service delivery in India tend to...
More »Government moves to keep political parties off RTI radar -Deepshikha Ghosh
-NDTV New Delhi: The government has moved to block political parties from being covered by the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Amendments have been moved to the Act to exempt parties from being obliged to share details of their funding or how they choose their candidates. These amendments are likely to be scrutinized at a cabinet meeting on Thursday. In June, the Central Information Commission or CIC, which ensures the RTI Act is...
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