-The Hindu   Planning Commission allocation will see significant rise The K. Srinath Reddy Committee of Experts, appointed by the Prime Minister to suggest universal Health insurance coverage, is expected to submit its report by month-end, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said on Friday. At the same time, the Commission would ensure that allocation for the health sector was significantly increased in the 12th Plan, he said. During the 11th Plan, the...

Ankaji Bhai Gangar, a 49-year-old subsistence farmer, stood in line in this remote village until, for the first time in his life, he squinted into the soft glow of a computer screen. His name, year of birth and address were recorded. A worker guided Mr. Gangar’s rough fingers to the glowing green surface of a scanner to record his fingerprints. He peered into an iris scanner shaped like binoculars that...

-The Hindu   Minimum wages to unorganised workers The draft labour policy, released by Labour Minister Shibu Baby John here on Tuesday, proposes measures to ensure minimum wages to workers in the unorganised sector and check unhealthy tendencies such as ‘nokkukooli' in the loading and unloading sector. Releasing the policy, the Minister said that no time frame had been fixed for achieving these objectives because attitudes needed to be changed. All trade unions had...

-IANS   The government will lay emphasis on health in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) and funds will not be a constraint in the areas of education and health, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday. "I have often referred to the 11th Five Year Plan as an education plan.  We will lay the same emphasis on health in the 12th plan as we laid on education in the 11th plan. I will...

The bidirectional relationship between economic development and health justifies greater investment in the health sector. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has been described as one of the largest and most ambitious programmes to revive health care in the world and has many achievements to its credit. It seeks to provide universal access to health care, which is affordable, equitable, and of good quality. It has increased health finance, improved infrastructure...