-The Times of India Putting health over revenue, the Delhi government on Monday announced a ban on all gutka products in the capital. The ban, which includes sale, manufacture, distribution, transportation, display and storage of these products, is expected to take effect in a day or two. The ban will cover pan masalas containing tobacco and other packaged chewing tobacco products. "Our government was always in favour of putting a ban on gutka...

-The Hindu The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan on Monday called upon the Union Government to extend free medicine supply scheme, presently operational in a few States like Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, all over the country to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure of common people on health care. Such a scheme would especially benefit the patients deprived of any kind of treatment due to poverty. In a letter addressed to Union Health & Family Welfare Secretary...

-The Business Standard Make politicians' asset disclosures clearer, and follow up In an important move towards transparency, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year reminded his council of ministers to declare their assets, movable and immovable, and said that the declarations would be put up online. Declarations for 2012 are now online and these should be welcome. But they also reveal that many lacunae remain in terms of full and clear disclosure. The...

-PTI Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assets have not increased since last year but their value has gone up, his office said on Monday. "The assets are the same but their valuation has gone up as the assessment has been done, for the first time, by a government-approved valuator," a PMO spokesman said. The clarification came after the Prime Minister declared the value of his assets as Rs 10,73,88,730.81, which is double the...

-The Indian Express Its report on the allocation of coal blocks is marred by a major legal error The legal fraternity celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court of India in 2000 with a book, Supreme, But Not Infallible. The unusual title of the book was a powerful way for the legal fraternity to remind itself, and the public, that the highest court in the land is fallible, that it can...