-Down to Earth A high level UN panel on Access to Medicines wants members to make full use of TRIPS flexibilities to protect public health If ever India needed a clear endorsement of its laws on intellectual property rights (IPRs) and their application in meeting public health priorities, it has come from the highest quarters. The report of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel (HLP) on Access to Medicines has, directly...

-Frontline.in To rural India, which is already reeling under multiple crises, demonetisation has come as yet another blow. WHEN the Prime Minister made the decision to withdraw Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes, he did not quite factor in the impact it would have on agriculture. Despite the rhetoric the concept of digital wallets has not yet entered rural India unlike in much of the country’s urban areas, and much of rural and...

-The Hindu New Delhi: Days after it was revealed that the Centre is likely to dismantle the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Agency (NPPA), its chairman said the decision was ‘rushed’ and the agency was not consulted. “There were two meetings and the NPPA was not a party to them. Both meetings were held at short notice. This has been a rushed decision. For any policy change, there needs to be consultation. I understand...

-The Hindu To prevent further damage to the economy and to relieve distress, demonetisation should be revoked immediately Without adequate preparation or thought, the monetary authorities and the government have taken a drastic step declaring as worthless over 86 per cent by value of the currency notes in circulation with the public. A prior large increase of lower denomination notes should have been ensured through banks and ATMs, so that overall money...

-The Indian Express The State Bank of India, Maharashtra Gramin Bank and Nanded District Cooperative Bank have branches in Malegaon. But only the SBI and Gramin Bank branches are dispensing cash. Malegaon (Nanded): The family of Pralhad Ingole, a farmer who owns about 6 acre of land, is struggling in the absence of cash. The lone ATM in their village of Malegaon in Nanded district, operated by the State Bank of...