-Down to Earth Nearly 83 per cent medicines out of the ambit of price control policy, thus making them out of reach for most patients, say two recent reports Indicating failure of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy (NPPP), 2012 and the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013, two recently-released reports have stated that medicines are still not accessible and affordable for the citizens of the country. The reports that were jointly released...

-Down to Earth Demand farm income commission; urge political parties to make it an election issue A number of farmers' organisations got together on Thursday to demand a minimum living income equivalent to that of agricultural scientists for all farm households in the country and asked political parties to make it a part of their poll manifesto. Citing NSSO findings, they said the average monthly income of farm households in the country...

-PTI     United Nations: India is placed at the 111th position out of 189 countries in a list prepared by an international organisation that ranks nations on the number of women representatives in Parliament. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an international organisation of Parliaments, said in its annual analysis that more women than ever before are being elected to Parliaments around the world, with gender parity likely achievable in less than a generation...

-Press Note (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) There have been reports in the Media that private hospitals on the panel of CGHS are denying credit facilities to the eligible CGHS beneficiaries for delay in settlement of hospitals bills. Lower package rates and inadmissible deductions etc. have also been reported to be the other reasons for withdrawal of agreed cashless /credit facilities. In this regard, the CGHS beneficiaries are advised not to...

-PTI BHUBANESWAR: The country's eastern region has the tremendous potential to emerge as the country's 'rice bowl', a recent study industry body Assocham said. The study titled 'Towards Second Green Revolution in Eastern India: A Road Map' also said the eastern region would be able to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about ten per cent in paddy production, if the country manages to bridge the gap between potential yield...