2023

On April 15, 2023, former Samajwadi Party MP and alleged gangster Atiq Ahmad (65) and his brother Ashraf (52) were shot dead by gunmen at close range in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), as the Uttar Pradesh police was escorting them to a hospital for a medical check-up. The whole shootout was captured live on television with the two brothers answering questions being posed by reporters. Reportedly, the shooting took place in front of at least two dozen armed policemen, and the police allowed the (…)

by Arun Srivastava
Notwithstanding the week-old assurance from India’s home minister Amit Shah to the delegation of Muslim leaders led by Mahmood Madani, president, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind that prompt action would be taken against the perpetrators of violence on the Muslims, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, was quite ebullient at the assassination of two famous gangsters from UP, Atiq, and Ashraf and even went up to claiming that no mafia can spread terror in Uttar Pradesh and (…)

“Mafia, who were a threat earlier, are themselves facing threat” announced Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath proudly, smacking his lips with tremendous confidence and satisfaction, on the third day after former Samajwadi Party MP and a presumed mafia don of Allahabad was shot dead, handcuffed in police custody along with his brother Ashraf in a similar state alongside, accompanied by a police contingent, by three young men. According to a prominent English daily, the UP Chief (…)

by P. S. Jayaramu
(18th April,2023)
As the election fever gathers momentum, we need to recognise the fact that though the contest is largely bipolar between the ruling BJP and the Congress Party; the third player the Janata Dal (S ) can not be ignored which in essence has made the battle tripolar or bipolar plus, if we can describe it that way. I will return to this theme later.
First let me address the issue of selection of candidates by the BJP. Lending legitimacy to the fact that (…)

Abstract
This paper critically looks into the strengths and weakness of the NITI Aayog’s National Health Index. It also reflects on why India needs a Comprehensive Health Index in the post-pandemic world.
Introduction
India has made improvement in terms of life expectancy, in reducing fertility rate, maternal mortality rate (MMR), infant mortality rate (IMR), under five mortality rate (U5MR) over the years. However, taking into India’s commitment towards Sustainable Development Goals (…)

by Sonu Chauhan *
According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, every year, more than 700,000 people commit suicide worldwide, and around 77 per cent of the suicide cases are reported in low and middle-income countries. The most common causes of suicides are depression, illness, pain, stress, alcoholism, financial crisis, family issues etc. The number of suicides and their causes differ according to geographical locations, economic conditions, social and cultural status, age groups, (…)

by Tanya Nicole Fernandes and Dr Soumitra Pathare *
April 17, 2023
Despite having the law on their side, people who attempted suicide in India are continually harassed by authorities and don’t receive appropriate help.
Content warning: This article discusses sensitive topics such as suicide that some readers may find distressing.
Early one Sunday morning, Latha (not her real name) and her husband were woken by police at their door demanding she accompany them to the local station. (…)

Harish Chandola breathed his last on March 26. His life of 94 years, including over six decades of active work as a journalist as an author, was full of highly energetic, interesting, and meaningful reporting and writing from several parts of the world.
He was born and brought up in a remote Himalayan village of Garhwal. At a young age he started working for some of the established newspapers based in Delhi. During one of the earlier assignments of covering a visit by Jawaharlal Nehru to (…)

by Karishmeeta Das *
Many societies the world over practice taboos and rituals in relation to menstruation, a biologically natural phenomenon. However, through the societal lens, a menstruating woman is believed to be impure and is barred from performing various activities and also visiting certain places or attending ceremonies. At the same time, the first sign of blood in a girl child, marking her entrance into puberty, is celebrated in many societies. In Assam, the first menstruation of (…)

by Dr.Girija K.S. & Dr. Basavaraja G *
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” — Nelson Mandela
At a time when more and more women are entering into education and seeking employment and are equal participants in the eradication of social and gender inequalities, we still see the barriers surrounding them at each level be it professional, personal, research and in higher centers of learning as the highly qualified women also accept the inevitable (…)