The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday arrested former Jharkhand health secretary Siaram Prasad Sinha in a multi-crore rupee scam in the department. “We are going to prosecute him in the case”,CBI SP S K Choudhary told The Indian Express. The CBI Friday also raided the residence of former health minister Bhanu Pratap Shahi at Bhavnatpur in Palamu in connection with the case. Shahi was not home. Sinha and two other senior...

The GM crops debate rages, but pressure is on to end the moratorium Actively On Hold? Well...     * GEAC meets experts in late April, butthrows no light on safety reviews     * Second report by national science academies supports limited release     * GEAC chairman rejects limited release; assures further discussions     * No decision on further tests or studies to justify Bt Brinjal     * Civil society groups meet GEAC in May, seek...

-The Hindu   Consent forms signed by higher authorities on behalf of adolescent girls ‘Interests of NGO, business prioritised over that of people' Due attention was not paid to the adverse side effects and vaccine-related problems Expressing concern over the “shocking” irregularities and violation of medical ethics in the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine trial, revealed by the final HPV enquiry report and its findings, the All-India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) has demanded fixing...

-ToI   The government patched together an intricate—and flawed—fertiliser system over the last 40 years. It now wants to dismantle that monster. The challenge before it is to preserve its pro-agriculture and pro-poor objective, while correcting the flaws that crept in, reports M Rajshekhar If it all goes to plan, buying or selling fertiliser will never be the same for the 120-odd companies that make up this Rs 1,00,000 crore industry or...

India has so far failed to get any assurance from the European Union to reconsider the ban on herbal medicines, even though the issue has been raised with the EU several times. The ban came into effect on May 1, 2011, following a new EU regulatory procedure approved seven years back. According to the EU Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, a herbal medicine company needs to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of...