The state government has finally swung into action to fight the outbreak of encepha-litis, but not before the death of 85 children. Health department principal secretary Amarjeet Sinha today said plans were afoot to set up paediatric Intensive Care Units (ICUs) at Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANNMCH), Gaya and Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), Muzaffarpur in the wake of the huge number of suspected Japanese encephalitis...

-The Telegraph   The CBI today began probing an Uttar Pradesh health scam running into thousands of crores that has led to the murders of two honest government doctors and the sacking of two ministers. The issue relates to the spending of Rs 10,000 crore allocated to the state under the National Rural Health Mission. CBI spokesperson Dharini Mishra said the agency had registered five preliminary inquiries on the orders of Allahabad High Court,...

The promotion of the PDS as an Aadhaar application would fundamentally alter its form and character. NO scheme of the Indian government would be transformed more fundamentally by Aadhaar than the public distribution system (PDS). The nature of this transformation appears to be taking the form of a virtual dismantling of the PDS; even if a skeletal fair price shop (FPS, or ration shop) system continues to exist, it is likely...

-The Hindu   “In a world of growing complexities and uncertainties, not every decision by the government is likely to be the most optimal. The possibility of institutional failures, oversight and ignorance impacting the decision-making process cannot be ruled out,” said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. He was addressing a concluding function here on Wednesday to mark the celebration of 150 years of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG). Mr. Mukherjee pointed out that...

-IANS   After fabricating Jugnu, the country's tiniest satellite launched last month, Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur graduates have now come up with a matchbox-sized device to monitor wear and tear of railway tracks and prevent derailment.  The new device is aimed at replacing a bulky, box-like contraption that is currently used by Indian Railways.  "Our device is a supplementary system for monitoring track health, making it simpler to integrate with the existing railway infrastructure,"...