-Outlook Jaipur: The Rajasthan government today accepted the state OBC commission report, paving way for five per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutes to five communities, including Gujjars, under Specially Backward Category. The commission, led by justice (retd) I S Israni, had handed over the report to the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on November 22. The decision was taken at a CABinet meeting today. The reservation in the state is set to...

-The Economic Times The Union CABinet has okayed a new price-control formula for pharmaceuticals, which seeks to cap prices at the arithmetic average of all drugs with more than 1% market share in any therapeutic segment that is to be brought under price control. Given that the existing system of fixing prices of select drugs is on the basis of costs, which is rigid, intrusive and prone to manipulation as well,...

-Outlook Against the backdrop of the latest case of alleged honour killing, the Law Commission has recommended making it a non-bailable offence but disagreed with Supreme Court's suggestion that death sentence be applied to all such cases. The Commission had also asked the government to explore the possibility of a new law to prohibit unlawful caste assemblies (like Khaps) which take decisions to condemn marriages not prohibited by law. "No person or any...

-Outlook The Supreme Court today said it would examine the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy after it is notified with the Centre promising to do it within two weeks. A bench headed by Justice G S Singhvi granted two weeks time to the Centre to issue notification and posted the matter for hearing on December 12. Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra informed the court that the CABinet had approved the policy that will bring...

-The Economic Times The government's ambitious plan for direct cash transfer of subsidies is facing implementation hurdles even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday set a January 1 deadline to roll out the scheme in 51 districts. While the PM's announcement was a formality, the petroleum ministry has pointed out that once the CABinet approves the new mechanism on oil and LPG subsidies, it will take 11 months for a rollout. This...