-The Hindu   Planning Commission allocation will see significant rise The K. Srinath Reddy Committee of Experts, appointed by the Prime Minister to suggest universal health insurance coverage, is expected to submit its report by month-end, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said on Friday. At the same time, the Commission would ensure that allocation for the health sector was significantly increased in the 12th Plan, he said. During the 11th Plan, the...

-The Indian Express   Seven farmers on Wednesday sat on a hunger strike in Dharamheri village to protest the construction of Hansi-Butana toe wall and to demand measures to check floods in the area. BKU (Ekta Dakaounda) Patiala district president Darshan Pal said that chain hunger strike would be observed till September 16 where alternate group of farmers would observe the strike daily. He added that if their demands were not met,...

The Anna Hazare movement demands no activism from its followers, not even a clear understanding of the specific demands. “COMBATING corruption”, like “promoting peace”, can mean anything to anyone; and precisely because of this “fuzziness” it appeals to everyone. Some join the anti-corruption movement because they are against “corporate loot”; others join because they are against the Nehru-Gandhi “dynasty”; and still others join because they oppose the “corrupt practice of...

-IANS   The Delhi government's scheme replacing the Public Distribution System with cash transfers is a "total fraud" as the poor will not benefit from receiving a fixed sum when prices of essential items are rising, NGO Rozi Roti Adhikar said on Tuesday. The NGO kicked off a 20-day yatra across the capital to galvanise opinion against the government's decision. According to a statement, the yatra will move through various parts of...

-The Telegraph   Private hospitals in Delhi that received land at a concession from the government must honour their undertaking to treat poor patients free of charge, the Supreme Court today said in a verdict that can have an impact in other states too. The court allowed the hospitals to recoup the cost from private donors and sponsors or “by any other means”, which should include cross-subsidisation by raising rates for other patients. The...