-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The drug price regulator has capped prices of 30 medicines including antibiotics and those used in treatment of diabetes, tuberculosis and malaria. The move is expected to bring down prices of most of these medicines by 25-30%. However, in some cases the reduction could be by as much as 50%. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), which has the mandate to regulate prices of essential medicines,...
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Cash for Food--A Misplaced Idea -Dipa Sinha
-Economic and Political Weekly Direct benefi t transfers in the form of cash cannot replace the supply of food through the public distribution system. Though it is claimed otherwise, DBT does not address the problems of identifying the poor ("targeting") and DBT in place of the PDS will expose the vulnerable to additional price fluctuation. Further, if the PDS is dismantled, there will also be no need or incentive for procurement...
More »The Centre asks Bankers to Restructure Crop Loans and Insurance
-Press Information Bureau/ Ministry of Agriculture The Central Government has asked State Level Bankers' Committees to facilitate timely restructuring of crop loans. With restructuring, the loan repayment period would be extended. The Home Ministry has also written to states to keep 10% of SDRF fund reserved for "local disasters" such as heavy rain which are to be declared at par with national disasters and use this money for distressed farmers. This...
More »Rs 2 to Rs 17: Rise in NREGS wages is no hike at all -Subodh Ghildiyal
-The Times of India New Delhi: Discharging its annual duty, the Centre has revised the wages under the job guarantee scheme that range from a minimum of Rs two to a maximum of Rs 17 for a day's labour. In percentage terms, the hike ranges between 2%-10%. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh stand at the bottom of the ladder with the hike under MGNREGA being a meagre Rs 2, increased from Rs 157...
More »Centre sits on wage hike nudge -Basant Kumar Mohanty
-The Telegraph New Delhi: The yearly wage revision for the rural job guarantee scheme has for the first time missed its April 1 deadline, with the government having sat for nine months on expert advice for a sizeable hike. Sources said the rural development ministry would next week notify an interim wage increase, based on the existing formula for yearly revisions, while the finance ministry weighs the expert panel's July recommendations. There are...
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