A medical degree in three-and-a-half years could soon become a reality. The Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery (BRMS), which had earlier faced stiff opposition, finally got the go-ahead on Thursday. The Union health ministry, which convened a meeting of state health ministers in Hyderabad, said "the introduction of BRMS courses was endorsed in the meeting unanimously". This means India's rural areas, which have so far been neglected by doctors,...

In recent years, the agricultural growth rate has tended to be lower than the population growth rate. This year, the former is nearing the target of 4%. But we still have a very large percentage of undernourished children, women and men. Poverty and destitution also remain stubborn. The Indian food security enigma rises from the mismatch between the grain mountains and the hungry millions. What are the prospects for ensuring...

The directorate of education (DoE) has already framed the draft rules for the implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, in Goa and has forwarded the rules to the state government for its vetting by the law department. Sources in the DoE said that the draft rules, once finalized, will then be forwarded to the state government for its approval and for the...

A social impact assessment report has slammed the 9900MW Jaitapur nuclear power park proposed in coastal Konkan, saying it would have a negative social and environmental impact on nearby villages. The 40-page report, compiled by a disaster management centre of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, has analysed the social impact the project would have on seven villages where the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd will acquire about 968 hectares. The...

Like doctors and lawyers, teachers may soon be subject to a “code of professional ethics”, which includes clauses for disciplinary action over corporal punishment, private tuitions and other “anti-community” activities. If accepted by the government, the proposed code would apply to school teachers across the country, from primary to secondary and senior Secondary levels, and across government as well as private schools, with the aim of restoring “dignity and integrity” to...