-The Hindu India’s drug price control order, which is vital to the availability of affordable essential medicines, has been whittled down to the point of becoming insignificant. While the number of price-controlled medicines has dwindled over the past three decades, from 347 to 74, the pharmaceutical industry has been pursuing super profits. The High Level Expert Group of the Planning Commission on Universal Health Coverage noted in its report that price...

-The Hindu Any political benefit the Congress hopes to reap in 2014 will come at the cost of reducing the effectiveness of social welfare schemes In getting its ministers to endorse the shift to Cash transfers from the AICC office in New Delhi, the Congress has highlighted the political nature of the move. The party clearly expects Cash transfers to play the same role for it in 2014 that the National Rural...

-First Post If we are willing to believe the best practice examples of Cash transfers from Brazil and Philippines, and trust the UPA on the fact that their Cash-for-subsidy is going to be all hunky-dory, we also have a right to believe Sitaram Yechury’s concerns about the fancy plan. According to the CPM leader, the Cash transfer is a ploy by the government to dismantle the PDS and systematically reduce subsidies. “This is...

-The Hindu A day after the Union Government rolled out Cash transfer for subsidies and entitlements, Jan Sansad, a coalition of more than 60 people’s movement, rejected it for being “anti-people”. Terming the scheme “an attempt by the government to wash off its hands from the responsibility to provide basic services and social security to its citizens”, the coalition said direct Cash transfer will have disastrous impact on the lives of the...

-Deccan Herald Cash transfer for public schemes is a “terrible lie”, said activists at a meeting held at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday. Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat said that if one compared India with African countries, India would beat them in terms of poverty. “The government is not willing to tax business tycoons and is making the common man suffer by cutting down subsidies,” she said. Karat added that her...