-Frontline Health activists say the health chapter of the Twelfth Plan document exaggerates the role of the private sector in providing health care. The draft chapter on health for the Twelfth Five Year Plan document not only is grossly inadequate in its approach but exaggerates to unrealistic levels the role of the private sector in providing health care. It invokes the concept of universal health care (UHC), but, critics say, it...

-The Economic Times The rural development ministry has drawn up an ambitious plan to demarcate rural land depending on its use to ensure that fertile agricultural land is not used for industrial purpose. An inter-ministerial group that will include experts from the national remote sensing agency and the town and country planning organisation will work out a feasibility plan. "While passing by huge tracts of fields full of crops it is not unusual...

-The Hindustan Times Under the cover of endorsing a proposal for the National Food Security Bill framed by an independent group of development economists, the government is all set to empty the Bill of any substance. Provisions relating to the Public Distribution System (PDS) will be reduced to a pointless reshuffling of existing foodgrain allocations to state governments, that too in favour of the richer states. And other entitlements, relating for...

-The Hindu Talking tough to non-cooperating social networking websites, the Centre on Wednesday said it had given an ultimatum to micro-blogging site Twitter to remove around 30 web pages still carrying inflammatory content such as morphed pictures and fake videos or face penal action. Minister for Communications and IT Kapil Sibal will be meeting National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, Intelligence Bureau Director Nehchal Sandhu and Electronics and IT Secretary J. Satyanarayana on...

-The Times of India The CEO of Natgrid, the government's ambitious project to make a single hub for all data gathered by more than a dozen security agencies, draws a salary of Rs 10 lakh per month -- more than any bureaucrat in the country. And this is besides the other entitlements that he gets at par with top officers in the government. Minister of state for home Jitendra Singh informed the...