Daily Hindu Editorials

Here, research that guides the process of policymaking is one of many contributing factors, the others being political aspects, interests of key stakeholders, feasibility of the policy, alignment with other policies, and consonance with the larger vision of the government. It is vital that India’s health policies are based on the best available evidence-based research. Capping stent prices For example, a lot has been written on how the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority’s (NPPA) decision, taken a year ago, to cap prices of advanced medical equipment, was a recipe for a public health crisis. There is now consensus that price regulation in an otherwise free-functioning market would eventually create inefficiencies. However, effects are often diffused and take time to surface.This makes finding evidence of the impact of such policies ex-post necessary, thereby providing guidance to policymakers to tweak and refine their policy goals and strategies. In the example abo...

The fight against leprosy is far from over, says the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination Yōhei Sasakawa, who is chairman of the Nippon Foundation, and the World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, was in India recently as part of the “The Global Appeal-2018”. The event aims to end the discrimination faced by people affected by leprosy, and their families, worldwide. Mr. Sasakawa, who is also Japan’s Ambassador for the Human Rights of People Affected by Leprosy, spoke to The Hindu about the challenges before India, which accounts for the largest number of cases of leprosy in the world, and his organisation’s partnership in fighting the battle. Excerpts. Where does the war on leprosy find us in 2018? Where do we stand in terms of winning this battle? Are there cases still coming in? Which are the areas that are the worst affected and why? Leprosy is an age-old disease. Throughout history, people afflicted have often ...

Do cellphones cause cancer? Despite years of research, there is still no clear answer. But two government studies released on Friday, one in rats and one in mice, suggest that if there is any risk, it is small, health officials have said. Safety questions about cellphones have drawn intense interest and debate for years as the devices have become integral to most people’s lives. Even a minute risk could harm millions of people. These two studies, on the effects of the type of radiation the phones emit, conducted over 10 years and costing $25 million, are considered the most extensive to date. The findings In male rats, the studies linked tumours in the heart to high exposure to radiation from the phones. But that problem did not occur in female rats, or any mice. The rodents in the studies were exposed to radiation nine hours a day for two years, more than people experience even with a lot of cellphone use, so the results cannot be applied directly to humans, says John Buche...

Is a new liberalism, shaped profoundly by Indian cultural conditions, just round the corner? Liberalism is probably more challenged in India today than in any other democracy in the world. Why? First, conservative communities appear to have gained untrammelled power in recent times. Self-proclaimed custodians of caste and religion are perpetually breathing down the necks of young men and women, dictating who they must meet, converse with, befriend and marry, what they should eat, wear, watch or read, whether or not they can use mobile phones, and even where they can go and when. By encroaching on the most intimate relationships of love and friendship, interfering in matters of pleasure or habit, they suffocate personal freedoms and violate the very basic norms of individual choice. Second, people find it increasingly difficult to express themselves freely. A public culture of hurt sentiment, violated collective honour, offence and alleged humiliation and the social and political lice...

On the iconic sculpture in Cave 5 of the Udayagiri caves in Vidisha Religious architecture forms a major portion of India’s built heritage. These structures are not only unwritten documents of history, they are also stamps of the might of the rulers who built them and articulations of grand visions. Secular and religious structures are products of their location — the material used to build them depended on what was available to the kings and workers at that time. They were also a reflection of the piety of the artisans and workers, for nothing else can explain the hard work that went into cutting through solid natural rock to carve out temples and spectacular sculptures. Rock-cut architecture never fails to awe me with all its majesty, precision, and intricate detail. The earliest rock-cut architecture is from the Mauryan dynasty, but the Ajanta caves, which I had visited a few decades ago and which left me awestruck, are among the earliest rock-cut temples. The Udayagi...