-The Hindu Business Line Fate of 108 drugs brought under price control in July still unclear In a booster for pharmaceutical companies, the Government has ensured that the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) no longer enjoys sweeping powers to control drug prices. The NPPA on Tuesday withdrew the guidelines it issued on May 29 that allowed the Authority to control drug prices in public interest. Based on this, it had subsequently capped prices...

-The Financial Express A mechanism is needed to compensate farmers for not exercising their right to sell productive land but continue to grow foodgrains. India finds itself in a piquant situation. While its population, and with it the number of poor, is growing, its cultivable land is not only shrinking, more worryingly, the economic returns of the agricultural use are diminishing vis-a-vis non-agricultural use. The situation may not be alarming right now,...

-CNN-IBN New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the central government on a petition seeking direction to take steps to prevent the increasing number of suicides by the farmer in different parts of the country on account of their difficult financial conditions. There is a suicide by a farmer in distress every 32 minute, the plea said. Seeking the government's response over growing incidence of suicides by farmers, the bench...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: A government agency has blocked its own pledge to impose price control on more medicines by withdrawing guidelines that it had used in July this year to cap prices of drugs used to treat diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has withdrawn the guidelines issued under Paragraph 19 of the Drug Price Control Order that it had used in July this year to cap...

-PTI NEW DELHI: In order to improve availability of fodder in the country, several state governments today suggested setting up of a Fodder Corporation of India (FCI), ban on export of oilseed cake and disallowing harvesting of wheat and other fodder crop using combine harvestor. Some states also demanded that the Centre should treat animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries at par with the agriculture sector and ensure benefits such crop loans at...