-The Hindu With the Rajya Sabha Standing Committee on Health expressing concern over the high cost of cancer treatment, the Government invoking Section 100 of the Patents Act is a way forward The subject of the spiralling costs of cancer medicines and their implications that have frequently been highlighted the world over were dwelled on in a recent report (“Cancer Care Plan and Management”) by the Rajya Sabha’s Standing Committee on Health....

-Scroll.in The government wants to reduce its dependence on imported crude oil by producing more ethanol-blended petrol. While India is making a push for ethanol-blended petrol, by incentivising sugarcane-derived ethanol, concerns remain about the water-guzzling nature of the sugarcane and fair remuneration for farmers. On November 2, the Centre, as part of its Ethanol Blending Programme, approved a higher price for ethanol that is derived from different sugarcane-based raw materials. This was done...

-The Telegraph Study by researchers at International Institute of Population Sciences finds that health reasons account for 7 per cent of 3,213 people who stopped work for a year or longer New Delhi: Chronic health disorders accounted for 30 per cent of decisions by a sample of middle-aged and elderly people in India to stop or curtail paid work, the country’s first-ever population-based study to estimate how chronic diseases impact productivity has...

-Newsclick.in There is need to build up self-reliance by nurturing the fertiliser CPSEs, rather than dismantling them through disinvestment and privatisation, read the PCPSPS statement. New Delhi: Amid concerns over global availability and growing demand for fertilisers, as well India’s dependence on urea import, the People's Commission on Public Sector and Public Services (PCPSPS) has called for a national fertiliser policy, consistent with the long-term food security strategy in India. “The national fertiliser...

-The Hindu Business Line The National Food Security Act could adopt standardised criteria to identify beneficiaries across States/UTs India’s development report cards have long been plagued by high incidence of malnutrition, making it an often-cited example of the nation’s growth conundrum. With the country being home to more than one-third of undernourished children, it is evident that the problem underlines the need for a targeted and multi-sectoral approach, with the benefits of...