-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,...

-The United Nations Temperatures this year are the ninth highest on record since 1850 despite the effect of La Niña, a meteorological phenomenon which is supposed to have a cooling influence on the Earth’s atmosphere, says a new United Nations report released today. High temperatures were accompanied by unprecedented melting of the Arctic sea ice and multiple weather and climate extremes which affected many parts of the world. The findings are among the...

-The Business Standard UID can shift focus from the government's functioning to the intended beneficiaries and ease of access The central government is seriously thinking of putting in place a technology-based platform to hand over subsidies directly into the hands of their intended beneficiaries. A number of pilots are under way for handing over, for example, kerosene subsidies for household consumption. While this is largely a central government initiative, state governments...

-Outlook Jaipur: Holding mobile towers as a health hazard, the Rajasthan High Court today directed telecom service providers operating in the state to remove within two months their towers falling in the vicinity of schools, hospitals and play grounds. The division bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice N K Jain Senior held that radiations emitted from mobile phones and mobile base towers are "hazardous to children and patients", as accepted...

-The Indian Express After the Centre had announced its intention to allow 51 per cent FDI in multibrand retail, Walmart said it would open stores in India in the next two years. However, without a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) between India and the US, Walmart’s investments in India are likely to be governed solely by domestic laws. If India and the US enter into a BIT, Walmart, reportedly being probed for...