-PTI Deteriorating air quality in the national capital could be a reason for serious Health risk, government today said but maintained that there is no conclusive data to establish it. Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan also informed the Rajya Sabha that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is monitoring air quality in Delhi and steps have been taken to control environmental pollution. Noting that Health effects, such as manifestation of respiratory ailments, could be...

-The Indian Express Cash transfers seem to be the latest fad. With elections looming, the Prime Minister’s National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers has been tasked with an ambitious mandate to provide vision and direction to enable direct cash transfers of subsidies under various government schemes and programmes to individuals to enhance efficiency. Certain activists warn against an ill-considered and hasty transition from food to cash. Others believe directly transferring the...

-The Business Standard Full country coverage, in stages, by April 2014 UIDAI, FinMin given prime responsibility to work with ministries, states for national coverage The government today made its intention clear of exploiting an Aadhaar-based direct cash transfer system as a political plank in the next Lok Sabha polls, due in 2014. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today cleared the schedule for implementation from January 1 of government subsidies and entitlements to beneficiaries...

-The Indian Express Nearly 45 trillion bidis and cigarettes manufactured over the past 100 years in the country are expected to be responsible for nearly 100 million deaths of adult Indians, a recent study has found. "Our calculations are derived from using the most conservative estimates and yet present mortality estimates which are significant and alarming," researchers Pranay G Lal, Nevin C Wilson and Prakash C Gupta said in a study published...

-The Indian Express The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has summarily rejected the proposed National Commission for Human Resources in Health Bill (NCHRH) 2011, asking the Health Ministry to draft a fresh Bill giving more space to views of state governments and various stakeholders given that reforms in the sector are “long overdue”. The committee also wants the ministry to include medical research (currently covered by the Higher Education...