-The Telegraph New Delhi: A public health expert has questioned the Indian government's commitment to effectively tackling tuberculosis, citing slashed funds, late diagnoses and a failure to curb incorrect or inappropriate prescriptions by many private practitioners. India's plans to eliminate TB as a public health problem by 2050 will remain unachievable without sustained financial support, strong political will and stringent regulation, Mahavir Golechha has said. Golechha is a faculty member with the health...

-The Times of India GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi announced a cash incentive to below poverty lines (BPL) mothers who give birth to girl child on Saturday. This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "beti bachao, beti padhao" call. At a function on National Girl Child Day here, Gogoi said his government will introduce the new scheme at the budget session of the assembly beginning March 2. "We will provide Rs 5,000 to...

-The New Indian Express At a time when millions of people are being pushed into poverty by health care costs, there is good news from Karnataka. The state, a pioneer in government-led health assurance, launched another innovative programme on Tuesday. The Rajiv Arogya Bhagya scheme for uninsured people above the poverty line covers tertiary treatment, including 449 surgical procedures, in seven specialties: cardiology, neurology, urology, oncology, burns, polytrauma and paediatrics. Each...

-The Indian Express The Centre is reportedly considering decontrol of urea over a period of three years, at the end of which retail prices would be totally market-determined, with farmers getting a fixed per-bag subsidy to be credited directly to their bank accounts. If this happens, it will probably be the most politically challenging economic reform the Narendra Modi government undertakes. Given the crash in global oil prices, decontrol of diesel...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The BJP government's 'Make in India' initiative could get top billing in the 2015-16 Union Budget with tax breaks and other measures for several sectors. Make in India is the centerpiece of the Narendra Modi administration's bid to revive manufacturing activities and create millions of jobs. With the Chinese economy slowing, India senses an opportunity in the industrial sector. A blueprint for the 25 identified sectors was...