-Mid-Day.com    Drug rehabilitation centres in the city have recorded some shocking changes with regard to the number of narcotic users this year. Rehabilitation centres recorded a shocking increase in the number of pre-teens seeking help for drug abuse. According to many such centres, 13 is currently the average age of drug abusers in the city, while 16 was the age recorded last year. "The lifestyle has changed and it is not just BPO...

Social activists up in arms against proposed reforms; impact on procurement feared   The Union Government's new move to give primacy in the revised draft of the National Food Security Bill, 2011, to controversial schemes like cash transfers and issuance of food coupons to identified public distribution system beneficiaries in lieu of foodgrain entitlements has got social activists up in arms. The scheme was introduced under ‘Schedule II' in the initial draft of...

An unprecedented economic growth during the last decade has also seen increasing malnutrition, hunger and starvation amongst certain sections of society. India ranks 66 in the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO’s) World Hunger Index of 88 countries (Inter-national Food Policy Research Institute). More than 200 million people in this country are denied the right to food. One-third of all underweight children (57 million) in the world due to lack of...

-The Economic Times   Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, D Subbarao said on Tuesday that India's food inflation was fanned by change in dietary habits. Commenting on high inflation, Subbarao said that underlying drivers of inflation have changed.  "India needs to address challenge of food inflation. Food inflation has substantially come down but over the last 3.5 years since 2008-2009, average food inflation has shot up higher than the past 6...

New drug pricing policy proposes bringing all essential medicines under Price Control, but makes them expensive After years of dilly-dallying and several Supreme Court reminders, the Centre has proposed to bring all essential drugs under Price Control. But the policy is nothing but hogwash. Its pricing mechanism would make essential medicines out of reach for most people. Public health experts have termed the draft National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy of 2011 a...