India joins global drug discovery league The launch by Ranbaxy last week of Synriam, a new drug to treat malaria, is an important milestone. Having made its name by manufacturing generic (off patent) drugs cheaply, India’s pharmaceutical industry has struggled to achieve original drug discovery since the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations signalled the onset of product patents in India. It began to be realised, in time, that there was...

-The Economic Times A record high of 31% of Indian adults - or about 240 million Indians - rate their lives poorly enough to be considered 'suffering', according to the 2012 Gallup research released Monday at the Behavioral Economics Forum in New Delhi. This is against 24% "suffering" in 2011. Engagement in Indian workplaces is also a concern, with 8% of Indians who are employed for an employer being engaged, versus 32%...

After a lukewarm response to the phase I of the Unique Identification Number (UID) scheme, the state government has decided to do away with majority of questions in phase II to boost registrations. The move may expedite the process but is likely to double the work for various agencies at a later stage. The registrations for AADHAR cards under phase II are likely to begin next month. Unlike in phase I,...

The implementation of Right to Education Act may have got a shot in the arm with the recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the 25% reservation in unaided private schools for children from lower income group families but inAndhra Pradesh (and possibly other states in the country), the Act might soon figure among the many well-intentioned government schemes that do not impact, leave alone benefit, its target group. At best, the...

-The Telegraph Ashok Chavan, who had to quit as Maharashtra chief minister after being named in the Adarsh housing scam, faces money-laundering charges in the same case. The Enforcement Directorate has registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR) against Chavan and 13 others, stating that prima facie an offence could be constituted under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ECIR stated that the accused persons, who had obtained clearance...