-The Hindu Sudha Sundararaman, General Secretary of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), writes: I am writing this on behalf of the women’s organisations which held a Press conference on Tuesday at the Indian Women’s Press Club in New Delhi in which representatives of seven women’s organisations were present, and two more were signatories to the statement. Those present were: AIDMAM (Asha Kowtal, Deepika Shokeen); AIDWA (Sudha Sundararaman, Kirti Singh, Jagmati Sangwan);...

-The Hindustan Times In a recent order, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by the Karnataka information commissioner as “frivolous”. It also went on to impose costs of  Rs. 1 lakh.  A closer analysis proves that this case has far reaching implications for the fundamental rights of a citizen, rights that have been codified in the Right to Information Act. The particulars are as follows. A Right to Information (RTI) applicant...

-The Hindu While India celebrates its near victory over polio, another dreaded disease, leprosy, that was overpowered in 2005 continues to haunt the government. Those affected by the disease continue to face social stigma and discrimination. In addition to the 12,305 child cases detected during the past year, 16 States and Union Territories have also shown an increase in the number of cases. Though in 2005 leprosy was eliminated (having less than 1...

-Reporters without Borders Access the 2013 World Press Freedom Index here. After the “Arab springs” and other protest movements that prompted many rises and falls in last year’s index, the 2013 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index marks a return to a more usual configuration. The ranking of most countries is no longer attributable to dramatic political developments. This year’s index is a better reflection of the attitudes and intentions of...

-The Hindu Unless the government regulates the growth of the private sector and makes it accountable, the worn-down public health infrastructure cannot be revitalised The absence of a well thought out policy framework for strengthening the health system is the most Important issue facing the health sector in India. In the government, there is no clarity on what the nation’s health system should be 10 years hence. Should it be a public...