The draft Broadcast Bill does not reflect a nuanced understanding of the complex and contentious issues relating to media ownership. At the same time the objections raised by India's media industry do not acknowledge the fact that media regulation in most 'mature democracies' includes restrictions on media ownership, writes Ammu Joseph.

Why are select medical cases hogging media attention? It is a matter of concern that health coverage is all too often susceptible to manipulation that makes a mockery of the ethics of both the media and the medical profession, says Ammu Joseph.

In mid-June, the Election Commmission of India directed Chief Electoral Officers of all states and Union Territories to enforce the law against "paid news" during elections. The institutionalised racket has been running into hundreds of crores of rupees. Ammu Joseph brings you up to speed.

If issues concerning media standards and ethics are not swept under the carpet as in the past, some good may result from the recent storm over Justice Katju’s observations, writes Ammu Joseph.

If 34 per cent of current parliamentarians have family ties and all those under 30 years are hereditary MPs, the concern over women alone leveraging family connections in politics seems misplaced. As the Women's Reservation Bill awaits yet another round of consideration, Ammu Joseph wonders if women politicians can and do make a difference.

On World Radio Day, Ammu Joseph looks at the representation of women in Indian radio and wonders if the medium can play a more significant role in ensuring empowerment and equal participation.

The Planning Commission is urging higher Central funding of large irrigation projects, but the Finance Minister promised more decentralised water management. What's going on? Meanwhile, Himanshu Upadhyaya thumbs through a CAG report and finds that these projects don't lack money - what they really need is accountability.

West Bengal officials recently called off screenings of various films scheduled to be shown at Kolkata's premiere culture centre, apparently displeased over one of the entries at the film festival. Shoma Chatterji reports on the government's censorship, and the outcry following it.

While government and other sector actors are on the alert to address the power crisis, some find a business opportunity in it. Meanwhile, attention to rural supply continues to be low, write Sreekumar N and Shantanu Dixit.

As Bengaluru is proposed to be split up into different municipal corporations, Mathew Idiculla explains why it is important to examine how decisions regarding cities and their boundaries are taken.

A discussion on the upward delegation of nuclear-related decision making is needed now. The defence sector cannot be reformed in isolation of its place in national security, writes Firdaus Ahmed.

The Indian military has so far maintained a dignified distance from the civilian and government affairs. But now there appears to be an increasing proximity between the military and the government. This does not bode well for India, writes Firdaus Ahmed.

Engineering is often the only factor considered during design and implementation of junction improvements plans at key locations where flyovers are built. But the reality is that these locations are commonly filled with pedestrians and used as transit points, and any plan that overlooks this is doomed from the start, writes Madhav Pai.

From lumpen political elements to the courts, various parties have, in their own ways, come out against toll plazas along different highways in the country, but Darryl D’Monte makes a strong case for collection of charges from motorists.

A new study confirms that traditional production in small communities faces grave threats from globalisation. The security of employment linked to local consumption is eroded, and traditional knowledge too is being lost. This has particularly harsh consequences for women, N P Chekkutty finds.

The Indian government has stopped short of imposing effective controls on gold imports despite the soaring current account deficit and its concomitant ills. Kannan Kasturi examines recent trends in gold demand to see if the government's rationale behind the soft policy holds good.

By having elections at a time when people are forced to migrate in search of work, we are simply excluding an ever-growing number of citizens from the vote, says P Sainath.

Through January the US has seen the loss of 17,000 jobs every day since the meltdown began in September. Here in India, too, things are slipping but the lessons remain unlearnt, writes P Sainath.

Internet monitoring, surveillance and censorship by the Government has become a norm in the country today, even while users are kept completely in the dark about it. Snehashish Ghosh argues why more transparency is critical to upholding the very basic tenets of democracy.

Too many times in the last five days, the Anna Hazare-led movement against corruption was labeled 'apolitical', almost as if to call it political would taint it somehow. Subramaniam Vincent analyses the 'victory'.

He said no to Brook, as he would not be allowed to carry hemp to the US! He had selective praise for Dylan and was openly caustic about contemporary artists. Shoma A. Chatterji reviews a biographical film on Gour Khepa, the brilliant and eccentric baul who lived life on his own terms.

2009 – mid 2014: UPA.
Mid 2014 – present: NDA.
This map will show you that irrespective of who’s at the helm, national policies and issues considered sacrosanct are not open to debate in our country.

The forests of India have enough treasure to power the economy of the whole country, it seems, but not enough to empower the adivasis. Shoma Chatterji reviews Johar.

The report of the Roy Paul Committee set up by the MoEF to examine and act on the earlier judgment of the Green Tribunal recommends several studies and assessments, but few of those seem to have been considered in the most recent appraisal. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Dr Ruffles, an affectionate dog and resident ‘doctor’ at a hospital in Chennai, has helped several children with special needs to overcome their learning disabilities and resolve complex behavioural issues. Hema Vijay reports.

A new book tracks down the women who stripped naked 12 years ago to protest against rape and rights abuses under AFSPA. Banamallika Choudhury reviews Mothers of Manipur.

The probability of an Indian mother dying during childbirth is roughly 10 times that of her Chinese counterpart. Reducing the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) by three-quarters in 10 years is now a Millennium Development Goal. Why is MMR in India so high and how far are we from the goal? Arati Rao unravels the many challenges to saving mothers' lives.

The conduct of election of members to the Medical Council of India in 2013 and its subsequent actions over the past year have underlined the brazen corruption in the regulatory body. Developments in the health ministry raise doubts over whether these issues will be tackled at all.  A round up

Akanksha began as an idea to give slum children time and space to simply be kids, to laugh and play. It has evolved into a unique learning environment that not only provides opportunities for them to gain employment but also in the process teaches tolerance and a broader view of the world. Jemma Purdey reports.

Municipalities are outsourcing city waste collection to private contractors. As a result, rag-pickers face a loss of their livelihood, unless the informal sector itself is institutionalised within the hierarchy of solid waste management. Surekha Sule reports.

In Yavatmal district alone, there's been an eight-fold increase in farmers' suicides in just four years. Yet, thanks to a flawed counting process, even that is a huge under-estimate. P Sainath continues his series on the agrarian crisis in Vidharbha.

Are the pressures which make male farmers commit suicide the same for women farmers as well? Socially, legally, with respect to property rights, and given their family positions, women are placed in situations strikingly different from those of men. Aparna Pallavi reports.

Residents in a Golibar slum find that they have very little recourse to the law to defend themselves from being forcibly displaced. The real violator is the builder, they say. Freny Manecksha reports.

The Mumbai municipal authorities have delivered a draft 20-year development plan for the city, but implementation of many of the proposals therein could well deliver the final blow to a city already gasping for breath, says Darryl D’Monte.

WHO के मुताबिक, कोरोना वायरस (Coronavirus) संक्रमित महिला का नवजात शिशु को स्तनपान (Breastfeeding) कराने से अभी तक किसी प्रकार का कोई खतरा नहीं पाया गया है.

वर्क फ्रॉम होम में हो रही परेशानियों को देखते हुए विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन द्वारा कुछ जानकारी दी गई हैं, ताकि महामारी के इस दौर में लोगों को किसी तरह की स्वास्थ्य समस्याएं न हों.

स्मोकिंग करने वालों को संक्रमण जल्दी होता है और रिकवरी की उम्‍मीद स्वस्थ लोगों के मुकाबले कम रहती है. स्मोकिंग फेफड़ों पर बुरा असर डालती है.

विशेषज्ञों का मानना है कि लॉकडाउन में छूट के दौरान भी भारत में संक्रमण बढ़ रहा है. ऐसे में जांच बढ़ाने की जरूरत है.

Can UV Lights Disinfectants Corona Virus: सूर्य के प्रकाश में मौजूद अल्‍ट्रा- वायलेट या UV किरणें, जिन्‍हें पराबैंगनी किरणें भी कहा जाता है.

A few days ago, a pregnant dog was beaten to death by two women in the Samantrarapur area.

Things that every person who has been asked to quarantine should strictly follow

Sixty four people who flew from Singapore to Delhi on Friday were sent to various quarantine centres in the city. Of them, 16 have been sent to Lemon Tree, three are staying in Sky City Western Hotel, four in an Oyo room while 41 people are in community centres located in Shukhrali and Dundahera.

Taiwan will fail in its bid to take part in a key meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) as its efforts are not based on concern for the health of Taiwan's people but are "political manipulation", China said on Friday.

The woman could not step out to buy cat food nor could she order online due to the restrictions in place. She later contacted the police for help.

In a post shared on Humans of Bombay page on Instagram, Varun said in his school days he was called a ‘defaulter’ and a ‘slow learner’, which discouraged his morale.

Along expected lines Mumbai Police's witty post had the internet floored and churning out praises in a jiffy.