-The Times of India KOLKATA: Bengal is sitting on a powder keg. And the fuse could well have been lit on Friday as a 33-year-old agent of Saradha Group, a chit fund company that has gone bust, committed suicide being unable to pay his depositors while over 3,000 agents laid siege to chief minister Mamata Banerjee's residence in protest against the lockdown. The turn of events has triggered fears of a repeat...

The recent Supreme Court judgment dismissing pharma giant Novartis’ claim for patent protections in India for its award-winning and prohibitively priced anti-leukemia drug Glivec has renewed the focus on accessibly-priced drugs – in particular the failure of the Indian public healthcare system and health policy to ensure affordable drugs for all. Studies show that as much as 70% of health spending in India comes from out-of-pocket payments, with 50-80% of...

-IANS Condemning the treatment meted out to the West Bengal chief minister in Delhi, eminent writer and activist Mahasweta Devi Thursday said there was no alternative to Mamata Banerjee. "As a chief minister, I do not see any alternative to her. Those who have been opposing her are increasingly getting isolated from the common man," Mahasweta Devi told mediapersons here. Praising Banerjee for her endeavour to fulfill the commitments made to the people,...

-The Hindustan Times Deceased SFI leader Sudipta Gupta's father said chief minister Mamata Banerjee was ‘off her head' after she seconded police claims that the youth died as he hit a lamp post. Sudipta's father Pranab also did not take comfort in Mamata's claims of solidarity with the family. "The chief minister is off her head. Is this justice?" a beleaguered Gupta asked, moments after Mamata's visit to SSKM hospital on Wednesday...

-The Hindu     The Opposition, including the Left Front, has demanded a thorough probe into the incident. Taking a serious view of the death of Students' Federation of India leader Sudipta Gupta in police custody, the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) directed the City Police Commissioner on Wednesday to probe the matter and submit a report within seven days. "The Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and directed the Commissioner...