-The Hindu In an atmosphere of mistrust of the government, only an independent safety regulatory mechanism can counter the scaremongering against civilian nuclear power I work at an institution funded by the Department of Atomic Energy (which, however, does no nuclear research: the DAE funds a wide variety of institutions and areas in science). About a year ago, I had an e-mail from a journalist who wondered why scientists (including colleagues at...

-Live Mint NAC wants Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna to be absorbed into new policy for universal health coverage  The National Advisory Council (NAC), which sets the policy agenda for the Congress party led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, wants the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) insurance scheme to be absorbed into the new policy for universal health coverage (UHC), taking the latter closer to realization.   This is part of the government’s bid to move...

On a day when villagers protesting against Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu were shot at and one of them killed, in Madhya Pradesh political compulsions finally brought victory of sorts on Monday, September 10, to villagers in Khandwa after a protest in neck-deep water for 17 days. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan agreed to reduce the water level at the Omkareshwar Dam to 189 metre. He has also agreed to form a...

-The Hindu Kudankulam and the surrounding areas remained tense on an incident-free Tuesday, after Monday’s violent happenings. Villages in a radius of 25 km, including Anjugramam, Chettikulam, Sree Renganarayanapuram, Levenchipuram, Viswanathapuram, Kudankulam and Idinthakarai, wore a deserted look after the suspension of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus services. People confined themselves to their homes as the tense situation continued to prevail in and around Kudankulam. According to official sources, the TNSTC...

-The Hindu The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan on Monday called upon the Union Government to extend free medicine supply scheme, presently operational in a few States like Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, all over the country to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure of common people on health care. Such a scheme would especially benefit the patients deprived of any kind of treatment due to poverty. In a letter addressed to Union Health & Family Welfare Secretary...