-The Times of India Some good news for consumers might be at hand. You would soon be able to find the most affordable alternative to the medicine prescribed by your doctor through an SMS-based service. The service, expected to be launched by the government in August, will be available throughout the country. Here is how it works: Once the person sends a text message of the prescribed brand of drug to a...

-PTI Leading IT-based companies have queued up to bid for a government's proposed state-of-the-art call centre aimed at providing greater access to host of services under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Officials in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said many private firms have expressed interest in the proposal. Encouraged by the usage of the transparency law, the DoPT has proposed a 'RTI Call Centre and Portal Project' to make the...

A cure for India’s health care ills is within reach provided there is political will In most developed — and many developing — countries today, a 12-year school education and universal health coverage (UHC) are the two primary responsibilities of the state. India has failed miserably on both counts. Let us look at some of the problems of medical and health care: • Fifty years ago, when there was no commercialisation of...

-PTI Farmers should not be forced to vacate their land for development projects, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said, advocating adequate compensation for them. "Land acquisition should be done with the consent of the farmers by giving them adequate compensation and if required after adjusting the affected family in job," Yadav said in a conclave in Lucknow on Friday. He said the state government is planning to construct a road to connect...

Universities should not have to bow to research institutes, writes Debashis Gangopadhyay. Basic Sciences versus Applied Sciences Undermining humanities studies in schools will lead to a large number of science graduates in the market. This is a boon for multinational companies as profits will escalate — the cost of labour being lower. However, the danger to profits persist from another aspect. Students who study science out of their love for a subject are...