-The Indian Express  If the latest report on status of children by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation is any indication, then the fate of children in India is grim. While child sex-ratios have dipped and child labour continues to be a problem, the report states that crime against children have scaled up with no end in sight to the plight of girl child. The report, Children in India 2012 -...

-The Times of India Medicines in India may not be sold under brand names in the near future. In its biggest move to push generic drugs and do away with brand names, the Union health ministry has ordered states to stop issuing licence for the manufacture or sale of drugs on the basis of their brand name. All pharmaceutical firms applying for licence to market or manufacture fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs will...

-Outlook Mumbai: Observing that the government has the power to transfer officials in special cases before completion of the tenure posting, the Bombay High Court has upheld the transfer of a senior police inspector following allegations of biased investigations. A division bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar was hearing a petition filed by senior police inspector Sanjeev Kokil, challenging his transfer from the MRA Marg police station in south Mumbai to...

-The Indian Express A series of surrogate advertisements by the gutkha lobby against the ban on it in 14 states in quick succession is now threatening to erupt into a full-scale ad war. The Health Ministry is considering the option of issuing ads of its own to rebut the claims made by gutkha makers. Interestingly, the ministry does not appear to be keen on invoking the anti-tobacco law, which forbids advertising of...

-The Times of India India's love for a male child has led to cold-blooded murder of three million girl children over the last decade. By government's own admission, the ministry of statistics and programme implementation in its latest report on state of children says three million girl children have gone missing in 2011 compared to 2001. Even as the world celebrates the maiden " International Day of the Girl Child", India doesn't seem...