Holding trust brought forth by equality of individuals as a critical foundation for a strong democracy, Shankar Jaganathan discusses the postulates of two recent academic publications that add to the important discourse on the issue of inequality.

Reading former CAG Vinod Rai’s autobiography Not Just an Accountant, Himanshu Upadhyaya feels that it is less about the individual and more about a constitutionally-mandated authority’s sustained efforts to uphold transparency in the face of concerted attempts by the powerful to thwart the same.

Dr Ilina Sen’s association with Chhattisgarh and her deep, empathetic understanding of its society and culture have come lyrically alive in Inside Chhattisgarh: A Political Memoir. Freny Manecksha reviews the book.

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.

Darryl D’Monte reviews the book Alternative Futures: India Unshackled edited by Ashish Kothari and K. J. Joy.

Akanksha Joshi's film chronicles the changing world through the lives of age-old communities and the adaptations they are forced into. Shoma Chatterji reviews Earth Witness.

Sunanda Bhat’s award-winning Have You Seen The Arana is deeply relevant in today’s world, as it explores the deep connectedness between man and nature, and the struggle of little-known people to preserve it in the face of many onslaughts. Shoma A Chatterji reviews the film.

The bi-monthly book review journal Biblio celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Its founder editors, Darryl D’Monte is one of its founder editors, were invited to the Chandigarh Literature Festival, which was held earlier this month. D’Monte talks about an interesting book discussion he chaired at the festival.

Administrative lapses and the fears of young parents keep a small percentage of infants outside the vaccine's reach, and this may be enough to keep the virus alive.

This Haryana based non-profit organization is working towards building a disabled friendly society through integration and rehabilitation, says Indra Chopra

For AIDS prevention education to be successful, powerful gender-sensitive messages must replace the nebulous 'moral framework', argues Anita Anand.

Kris Herbst profiles how David Green has propelled Aurolab into a model corporation that manufactures 'expensive' medical products at rock-bottom prices.

The rape of a schizophrenic girl at NIMHANS reveals a wide gap between the rhetoric and reality of mental health care in India.

Research finds evidence of heavy metal contamination of vegetables in Delhi.

Direct Electro-Convulsive Therapy, banned in the west and some Indian states as a form of medical torture, is finding new advocates. Ethical psychiatrists must strongly disavow the practice, says Bhargavi Davar.

Rahul Bedi says declining vulture numbers have triggered serious public health problems.

Shipra Saxena on Midnapore's strides in implementing a government and UNICEF sponsored rural sanitation scheme, in West Bengal.

Care-providing facilities for disabled children are important social investments. Building and running affordable facilities must a priority for society, says Lakshmi K.

As soft drinks manufacturers wage a public relations battle to counter accusations of poisoning consumers, fruit juice sellers sieze an unexpected boon. Ranjit Devraj reports.

Marien Mathew meets a confident and yet vulnerable Padma Shri Malathi Holla, a very special athlete.

Are multinational firms more important than public health? Sudhirendar Sharma questions the haste with which New Delhi has let soft drinks manufacturers off the hook.

Even as AIDS spreads, cheaper generic medicines made in India are unavailable to sufferers within the country, as the Indian government is slow to tackle the crisis.

Simply suspending the human rights of poor women cannot improve a suddenly over-anxious system. Abhijit Das warns against adopting reactionary population policies, and urges more investment in health instead.

The poor never follow the rules of good health, we often hear. But the rules, in fact, are no guarantee of safe health in a system that is poorly regulated and unaccountable to its users.

The Nalgonda uranium project proposal in Andhra Pradesh has serious health concerns. Is it in the public interest for AP to grant a license to Nalgonda uranium project? Buddhi Kota Subbarao says no.

A Toxics Link report on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the challenges for India.

Allegedly in the midst of a major reform effort, the Uttar Pradesh healthcare system shows itself to be woefully unprepared for an outbreak of dengue. Abhijit Das reports.

This time for public health and hygiene. Ramesh Menon interviews Bindeswar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation.

Damaged soil, ill-effects from pesticides, and falling water tables are the legacy of practices that were once thought great for the state. Ramesh Menon reports.

Gopal Krishna reports on the heavy price being paid by stone-cutters of the Lalkuan area of New Delhi.

This IIT Kharagpur professor's vision is to remove the digital divide between the visually impaired and the sighted world. Rasika Dhavse profiles Anupam Basu and his innovation, Sparsha.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee report on pesticides in colas reads like a charge-sheet on the functioning of many government ministries. Sudhirendar Sharma reports.

Dr.Judith Jaeger, an expert on psychiatric disorders was recently in Chennai. She spoke to Lalitha Sridhar on schizophrenia and the current state of knowledge in the world about the illness.

Even as many Indian hospitals invite a foreign clientele to world-class treatment facilities, the poor have to contend with a different and unregulated private sector, says Abhijit Das.

As an alternative to incineration that is known to produce toxic pollutants like dioxins, India is leaning towards pyrolysis for disposal of medical waste. Ratna Singh of New Delhi based Toxics Link on the implications.

Millions of males are falling victim to illnesses at much faster rates, skewing the demographic balance. Pavan Nair looks at the numbers.

What plans and promises on 'health for all' have the NDA and the Congress offered to the electorate this election cycle? Abhijit Das takes a closer look.

The intimacy and inclusiveness provided by community media needs to be embraced, and will be a valuable asset in serving the disabled, who are often at the margins of public attention, says Ashish Sen.

Lalitha Sridhar talks to septuagenarian Dr. R. Kausalya Devi, head of the award winning Gandhigram Rural Hospital near Madurai.

Abhijit Das expresses concerns on the United Progressive Alliance's misplaced stress on population control targeting, taking the case of Uttar Pradesh.

Are tax-payer funded programmes for the empowerment of the disabled working? Until very recently, New Delhi has not even had reliable data to plan its programmes. Himanshu Upadhyaya digs into the 2004 Comptroller and Auditor General report.

As new cases of polio are reported in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, health departments scramble to respond quickly. Safia Sircar on a neighbourhood program in Shorpur.

N P Chekkutty reports on several marked trends in the latest Census data.

Reducing tobacco consumption is a multi-dimensional and complex challenge. Varupi Jain reports on an organisation that is lending its VOICE with strong efforts.

These National Human Rights Commission's hearings on the Right to Healthcare are bringing out hundreds of poor citizens' experiences of being refused public health care. Gone are the days when citizens endured this with a fatalism born out of years of hopelessness, writes Abhijit Das.

The main message that is going out to the masses is: use condoms. But this overlooks a fundamental reality about the values contained in that message, says Mirra Savara.

Medicine prices nationwide are likely to go up soon, including at public hospitals and dispensaries. Domestic manufacturers will withdraw critical but cheaper medicines as India gets ready to fulfill WTO obligations. Devinder Sharma argues that this is the beginning of a scientific apartheid.

Rural public health care is choked nationwide for a number of reasons. To name two, provisioning of services is very top heavy and many major programmes continue to be conceived and run uncoordinatedly. But Abhijit Das finds promising prospects in the formation of the National Rural Health Mission.

Some studies estimate that roughly 10 million Indians may be suffering from epilepsy. But social stigma and economic barriers are keeping treatment out of reach for the majority. Unlike polio, which has a national eradication programme, epilepsy treatment has seen no such focus yet, finds Varupi Jain.

Who can object to washing hands regularly to improve hygiene? In Kerala, the World Bank found out that it isn't enough to promote sensible messages; it's also important that the messages do not appear to be based on ulterior motives, like sales for MNC products. Darryl D'Monte reports.