-Down to Earth Open defecation along the Gandak in Uttar Pradesh causes the disease in Bihar, says study Bihar all set to check encephalitis Open defecation along the Gandak in Uttar Pradesh causes the disease in Bihar, says study TIRED of failures by researchers to identify the virus that causes acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), the Bihar government, along with Unicef and the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRI), has sent...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's Office held an urgent meeting with income tax department officials on Monday to discuss the fallout of the PM's National Relief Fund facing de-recognition of its Permanent Account Number (PAN). Having received objections from some quarters that the PM's relief fund is a private body and not a government entity, the PAN obtained for receiving donations faces de-recognition as it was obtained in...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: A legislation to protect rights of persons with mental illness and ensure people with such disabilities are treated humanely by banning practices like tonsuring or chaining of patients was introduced in Rajya Sabha on Monday. The bill allows adults to make an "advance directive" or decide on a course of action regarding how they wish to be treated in case they develop a mental ailment. The advance...

-Down to Earth   Quota for free treatment of economically weaker sections in private hospitals under-utilised; less than half of the children referred from government hospitals get treatment in these places Children from the economically weaker sections (EWS) in Delhi are unable to avail treatment at private hospitals despite the fact that these hospitals have reserved beds and out-patient department facilities for people from EWS category. This is the finding of a survey conducted...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel has asked the Centre to bring parity between wages under the rural employment guarantee programme and those given by states for agricultural labour under the Minimum Wages Act. The recommendation of the panel, headed by BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan, comes as a shot in the arm for the rural development ministry's proposal to link wages under the rural employment programme and the minimum wages...