-The Telegraph The Union Health ministry has signalled its intentions to go ahead with plans to introduce a cadre of rural Health care providers through a new BSc course, ignoring objections from a parliamentary panel. The ministry told Delhi High Court this week that it had sent a draft cabinet note on the three-and-a-half-year course in community Health to the Prime Minister's Office for comments. This is standard procedure before the matter...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: US business leader and philanthropist Bill Gates met Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Wednesday to discuss Healthcare issues, including India's low Healthcare expenditure. "There were discussions on Healthcare and vaccination. He appreciated the progress in immunization programme in India," a senior planning commission official told ET. India's 12th Five Year plan has projected to increase Healthcare spending to 2.5% of GDP compared to little...

-The Business Standard Govt should streamline its free medicines plan The Centre is reportedly going to shelve a plan to procure generic drugs for free supply to patients throughout the country. This is a serious error. Reportedly, states will instead be asked to do so; but, if a perceived inability to procure, stock and distribute these drugs is the reason for backtracking on the plan, how precisely will states be free of...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: If Delhi government has to make sure that residents don't eat pesticide-laced food, it will have to push neighboring states to reduce their pesticide usage. Most of Delhi's fruits and vegetables come from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Agricultural experts say that while High Court-appointed panel's recommendations on monitoring pesticide residue levels are welcome, much more needs to be done. According to the latest report...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: A Central government panel has recommended stringent checks for pesticides in fruits and vegetables, including imported ones. Submitting a report before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice Jayant Nath on Wednesday, the panel - led by a Health ministry official - is for intensive monitoring of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables sold in Delhi. The experts committee, chaired by Sandhya Kulshrestha, was...