-The Business Standard The proposed pharma pricing policy may give room to drug makers to escape price control. While the policy is primarily aimed at making essential medicines affordable, many feel the spirit is missing in the recommendations put forward by a group of ministers a few days ago. For instance, the ministerial panel has proposed to regulate prices of only 348 essential medicines and keep combination products out of control —...

-The Times of India CHANDIGARH/AMBALA/YAMUNANAGAR/KURUKSHETRA: Even as Punjab and Haryana governments are getting ready for procurement of paddy from October 1, the previously stocked wheat has not been cleared from mandis across the two states. The storage houses and government godowns are packed with previous year's produce, leaving no space for the fresh produce in the country's food bowl. Various food agencies have stocked 1.45 crore tonne wheat and paddy in...

-The Hindu  India’s first aquifer atlas points to a sharp decline in groundwater levels in several parts of Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. The atlas, compiled by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under the Union Ministry of Water Resources, says within the national capital, South-West Delhi is worst affected by depleting groundwater levels. “One of the critical challenges during the 12th Five-Year Plan is to evolve strategies to manage ground...

-The Hindu In its report on the road map to fiscal consolidation, the three-member committee headed by the former Finance Secretary and 13th Finance Commission Chairman, Vijay L. Kelkar, has suggested a host of “bold reform” measures on ways of slashing the subsidy bill which, it admitted, would result in some short term pain and hardships. The committee’s recommendations also include sale of surplus land with public sector undertakings (PSUs), fast-tracking of...

-Economic and Political weekly Drawing on the research on basic education in West Bengal, this essay argues the case for a much criticised public education system, which needs to be reconsidered as regards its potential as a provider of quality education, even while addressing its many failings. The essay follows an approach, both critical and constructive, that underlines the collective onus of the public in realising the value of the public...