-The Indian Express The court ruled that more than 1500 cases of alleged fake encounters in Manipur in the last 20 years "must be investigated." New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday said that indefinite deployment of armed forces in the name of restoring normalcy under AFSPA “would mock at our democratic process”, apart from symbolising a failure of the civil administration and the armed forces. The court also said that “ordinarily our armed...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Free health-care services during childbirth remain a pipe dream for most of India's poor, whether it relates to diagnostic tests, medicines, transport or even food, despite the Union health ministry launching a "free entitlements" programme five years ago. The families of most women who seek childbirth in government hospitals are forced to pay for supposedly "free" services, at times experiencing catastrophic expenditures likely to accentuate their poverty, two...

-The Hindu While the economy’s revival is still a work in progress, higher food prices, especially of pulses, are affecting nutritional intake across India. The government is counting on a good monsoon season to spur growth and cool down the prices of essential food items. Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said on Thursday that the government’s move to raise the minimum support price for pulses is expected to help push up...

-The Times of India AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government may be making tall claims about its "Kanya Kelavani" and school enrolment drive, but a report shows the state has performed much poorly than other states in championing girls' education. The Sample Registration System-Baseline Survey 2014 reveals that Gujarat (with 73.4 per cent of girls in school) is at the 20th position among 21 major states, just a notch above Rajasthan (72.1 per cent)....

-The Hindu The poor will find food unaffordable and will decrease consumption, says Shyam Khadka Though the demand for most food commodities in India is set to grow by 2025, it would at a slower rate as compared to 2005-15, according to UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). A plausible factor is the rising food commodity prices whereby a small section of the population will find food unaffordable and thus decrease consumption. FAO...