-The Economic Times If Dr Devi Prasad Shetty's vision comes true, most Indians will have access to quality healthcare. Dr Shetty says the cost of healthcare in India can come down by 50% in the next 5-10 years, and this will be forced on the hospitals by the government if service providers do not get their act together. "If you are going to say the cost of a heart surgery is...

-The Hindustan Times The tribals of Gadchiroli seem to be living in perennial fear of naxalites. The threat is so visible that it prevented the tribals from filing nominations for the June 24 mid-term panchayat elections in 139 gram panchayats. The Maoists have left the Gadchiroli district administration paralyzed. To a large extent, they have also been able to derail local governance by instilling fear among the leaders of different political...

The proposed National Food Security Bill (NFSB), under consideration of Standing Committee of Parliament, may be reviewed for procurement and distribution of maize or corn (under coarse grains scheme) at Rs 1 per kg to intended beneficiaries. Without going into the merits and demerits of ever-increasing subsidies under NFSB, corn for human consumption is highly vulnerable to impermissible limits of fungal toxicity — called “aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2)”. There are...

-The Hindu Fears that they would set a “bad example” to others Is there any bar on married girls pursuing their education in Class XI of a government school? This intriguing question has arisen in the minds of many people at Melur, a town situated about 20 km from Madurai, abutting the highway leading to Tiruchi and Chennai. This year, the only government girls’ higher secondary school in the town denied admission to...

Four of India's southern states — Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnakata and Kerala — that together constitute 22% of the country's population recorded 42% of suicide deaths in men and 40% of self-inflicted fatalities in women in 2010. Maharashtra and West Bengal together accounted for an additional 15% of suicide deaths. Delhi recorded the lowest suicide rate in the country. In absolute numbers, the most suicide deaths in individuals, aged 15 years...