-The Hindu Business Line The priority for this government is to promote the medical care market, not ensure universal healthcare for the majority Those at the helm of policymaking in the country have been, for some time, strongly advocating austerity as the principle for public expenditure policies, particularly for the social sectors. Arvind Panagariya, the vice-chairperson of the NITI Aayog, suggests that “for just three-quarters of a per cent of the GDP”, 0.76...

-The Hindu Business Line Timely interventions through medical innovations can transform the lives of mothers and children, not simply save them A couple of years ago, I was in a primary health centre delivery room in Shivgarh and saw a beaming mother with her three-hour-old baby girl happily feeding at the breast. Three hours earlier, this contented baby was born without a cry, still, and blue in colour. Fortunately, the midwife present,...

-The Times of India AHMEDABAD: Upholding the two-child norm for panchayat candidates, the Gujarat high court has disqualified a taluka panchayat member who was elected last year and whose fourth child was born eight years ago but had died just five days after his birth. Mahesh Parmar was elected to Thasra taluka panchayat in local body elections last year but after a few months, another contestant brought to the notice of the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In order to give women wider choice, the government has introduced a mix of birth-control measures, including injectable contraceptives and new oral pills, under the national Family planning programme, health minister J P Nadda has said. Age-old condom brand 'Nirodh' has been given a makeover with a new logo and communication strategy, led by Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador, to give a boost...

-Business Standard Instead of addressing systemic problems in agriculture, farm politics in the state is about how much money the government can offer the farmer as a dole The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), led by Parkash Singh Badal and son Sukhbir, was in a dilemma a year before the 2012 Assembly elections in Punjab. The Akalis had ruled Punjab since 2007 but no party had ever returned to power for a second...