Research should find ‘frugal' solutions to food, energy problems Expressing concern that the expenditure on research and development in India has been “too low and stagnant,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday called upon industry to increase its contribution and stressed the need for enhanced public-private partnership (PPP) in science and technology. “It is in some way ironic that GE [General Electric] and Motorola have created world-class technology hubs in India, while...

-The Telegraph The dam burst today. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) has issued a public statement on the AMRI fire and subsequent arrests, demanding the immediate release of those “not responsible for day-to-day operations of any business”. “Those who are not found guilty and are not responsible for day-to-day operations of any business should be released immediately,” said the statement titled “Ficci’s stand on fire at AMRI Hospital”. The...

The Youth Congress has a question: why can some company not buy the potatoes that Punjab’s farmers are throwing on the streets and sell them in Kerala where the crop’s price is as high as Rs 18 a kg? The answer, for the outfit being groomed under the guidance of Rahul Gandhi, is foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail. That’s the message from the monthly Youth Congress newsletter, which has now been...

-The Hindu   Achieving universal health coverage through an equitable system is among the key goals of India's 12th Plan. Within the overall objective of creating an entitlement-based health care system, one of the challenges is access to medicines. The High Level Expert Group instituted by the Planning Commission on Universal Health Coverage underscores serious policy distortions and inefficiencies that stand in the way of making essential medicines accessible to all. A...

-The Times of India   Even as the country continues to witness a campaign for a strong anti-corruption watchdog, a report has calculated that between $104 billion and $128 billion (roughly Rs 5 to 6 lakh crore) was illegally siphoned out of India in the decade spanning 2000 to 2009. This works out to an average outflow of about $10-13 billion (Rs 48,000 to Rs 63,000 crore) every year. The report has been prepared...