-Business Standard Indian and other generic drug firms face prospect of US legislature debating compensation for undue price rises Indian generic drug makers might, if a proposed US law comes about, need to pay a rebate to the federal Medicaid programme there when prices of their medications outpace inflation. A Bill is to be introduced in the US Senate by a member, aimed to cushion the impact on taxpayers in this manner...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government is likely to roll out its much touted National Health Assurance Mission (NAHM) in January, promising health insurance for all. The PMO last week asked the health ministry to work out the modalities of the scheme as well as revamp the existing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) to expand its span to include universal coverage, said an official. RSBY, currently managed by the labour...

-Business Standard India, China, the Gulf and other large developing economies form the fastest-growing market for the refrigeration industry Despite India changing its stance and keeping quiet, select developing countries were able to delay the launch of formal talks on the phasing out of climate change-causing refrigerant gases under the Montreal Protocol, meant to deal only with ozone-depleting substances. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had signed a pact with US President Barack Obama during...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: There is a 70% spurt in the number of RTI applications to the Prime Minister's Office after Narendra Modi took charge in May this year. Worryingly the number of appeals have increased by 65% indicating that people are dissatisfied with the responses they have received so far. The number of RTIs have increased from 3069 between January-May 2014 to 5208 applications between June-October this year. The...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The government could soon undertake extensive changes in its land use and acquisition policies as the PMO puts pressure on the agriculture ministry to implement the recommendations of an eight-year-old report that was prepared by a working group chaired by the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi. The report had proposed that industries and developers could make use of productive agricultural land for industrialisation and urbanisation by ensuring...