-The Hindu In RTI reply, Health Department contradicts its earlier stand Palakkad: Contradicting its own earlier stand that malnutrition was the major reason behind continuing infant mortality in Attappady, the Health Department has stated that no malnutrition-related death was reported from any of the 192 tribal hamlets in the region since January 2013. In a Right to Information (RTI) reply to social worker R.J. Rajendraprasad, the District Medical Officer (DMO) claimed that no...

-DNA A government resolution (GR) to bring back the system was issued this week by the social justice and special assistance department. The move aims to "economically empower" the Valmiki and other scheduled caste (SC) communities, which have been traditionally involved in the cleaning jobs, states the GR. All sanitation workers employed in the government, semi-government and civic bodies across Maharashtra can now nominate their kin for their job after they retire...

-The Hindu More women will be recruited to top jobs in various Karnataka government departments, with the hike in reservation for women at 33 per cent from the present 30 per cent. Currently, the percentage of women employees in ‘A’ and ‘B’ categories is well-short of the level prescribed by the new reservation policy. Women in ‘A’ category jobs such as Senior Assistant Directors and Deputy Directors were at 22.47 per cent...

-The Times of India Samarin Bai, a 50-year-old Baiga tribal woman from Mahamai village lives in the dense Achanakmar forests of Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh. A few days back, she decided to see a doctor for the big lump that had developed at the base of her neck and various other problems. Although there is a government sub-centre 6kmsix kilometers away, she knew that there was only one auxiliary nurse cum midwife...

-Economic and Political Weekly The draft National Health Policy 2015 is an improvement over its predecessors--the policies of 1984 and 2002. However, it also reveals several gaps, inconsistencies and blind spots which tend to dilute otherwise constructive proposals. The purpose of this article is to open up the draft to further public debate and comment. Forum for Medical Ethics Society (fmesmumbai@gmail.com) is a voluntary, non-profit organisation registered in Mumbai. The society was...