About 55 people were killed in a massive fire that broke out at the AMRI hospital in south Kolkata early Friday, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said. "Quick action will be taken against the hospital after proper inquiry," she added. According to hospital sources, death toll may rise in the hospital fire incident in Kolkata. Nearly 160 patients were admitted in the Dhakuria building, where fire broke out in the wee hours. Only...

Farmers are joining India Inc in mind, body and spirit. In a quiet revolution underway across the countryside, growers are setting up companies, replete with balance sheets, professional CEOs, board of directors, and income tax returns.  By pooling together the land and produce of their shareholders, these companies are signing lucrative deals with large retail chains, food companies and exporters keen to establish reliable supply chains. As many as 200 companies...

US-based multinational Dow Chemicals has declined to share its wholly owned subsidiary Union Carbide Corporation's alleged past residuary liability towards compensating 1984 Bhopal tragedy victims and refused to submit to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India, which is dealing with the Union government's plea for an additional Rs 7,844 crore to the gas victims. The UCC also took a stand similar to Dow Chemicals in not submitting to the...

We have five million children in the labour market, say official figures. Their actual numbers may be four times as many. As a nation, we have failed each one of them…   Millions of our children still labour today, in factories, farms, kilns, mines, homes and city waste dumps, when they should be in school or in a playground. We profoundly fail these children, collectively depriving them of education, play, rest, healthy...

New drug pricing policy proposes bringing all essential medicines under price control, but makes them expensive After years of dilly-dallying and several Supreme Court reminders, the Centre has proposed to bring all essential drugs under price control. But the policy is nothing but hogwash. Its pricing mechanism would make essential medicines out of reach for most people. Public health experts have termed the draft National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy of 2011 a...