The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is likely to run into a debate on public health policy after the Planning Commission moved to nix a proposal to include healthcare in the list of public entitlements such as education and food. Central to the proposal—initiated by a high-level expert group (HLEG) headed by K. Srinath Reddy, a leading advocate of preventive cardiology and president of the Public Health Foundation of India—was the...

-The Indian Express The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has got a toehold in the auditing process of Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s premier intelligence agency. In directions issued by the cabinet secretariat earlier this month, RAW has been told to submit a copy of its annual internal audit report to CAG. The report is prepared by a senior officer of the Indian Audit Service. A series of follow-up steps are...

Justice A K Ganguly, who was part of the bench that monitored the CBI probe into the 2G spectrum scam and retired soon after pronouncement of the explosive judgment ordering cancellation of telecom licences, wants the Supreme Court to follow what it has prescribed for the high courts - no judgment should remain reserved for more than three months.  Justice Ganguly said litigants develop a grudge against the justice delivery system...

-The Times of India Free medicines to all patients visiting any government health facility across the country could soon be a reality with the health ministry ready to roll out a nearly Rs 30,000 crore 'free-medicines-for-all' scheme with the PMO's strong backing. The free medicine initiative along with an expansion of the National Rural Health Mission to urban areas, a more district-oriented approach and implementation of recommendations of the K Srinath Reddy...

-The Economic Times Surprised at "missing" records of correspondence between the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed relating to the 1975 Emergency proclamation, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to retrieve and preserve the relevant files.  The transparency panel also sought an enquiry by the PMO into how the records relating to "such an important event in the history of post-independent India"...