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...

Watching the Republic Day parade, where 10 ASEAN leaders were chief guests, it was easy to miss the fact that the dates of their visit also marked the anniversary of another big visit three years ago: the visit by then U.S. President Barack Obama, when he announced a “breakthrough” in the India-U.S. civil nuclear deal, to finally pave the way for a commercial contract. “The deal is done,” Sujatha Singh, who was Foreign Secretary at the time, said as the government issued papers and held briefings describing the nature of the agreement between India and the U.S. on supplier liability and tracking requirements, which would enable American companies to build nuclear power reactors in India. 🔷  A decade on Today, nearly a decade since the memoranda of understanding were inked, and three years after the last wrinkles were ironed out, there is no sign yet of any concrete contract between an American company and the Indian authorities to build a reactor. ...

The Centre must draw up an implementation roadmap for the new health scheme The NDA government lost precious time in its first three years in initiating a health scheme that serves the twin purposes of achieving universal coverage and saving people from high health care costs. It announced two years ago in the Budget a health protection scheme offering a cover of ₹1 lakh per family, but ultimately that did not extend beyond ₹30,000. Fresh hopes have been raised with the announcement of Ayushman Bharat in Budget 2018. The plan has the components of opening health centres for diagnostics, care and distribution of essential drugs as envisaged in the National Health Policy, and a National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) to provide a cover of up to ₹5 lakh each for 10 crore poor and vulnerable families for hospitalisation. These are challenging goals, given the fragmented nature of India’s health system. Some States already purchase health cover for the poor, but do ...

With the diverse nature of political competition in each of the three northeastern States — Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya — going to polls in mid-February, it is difficult to say what may be the overall trend. But though there are many regional parties contesting elections besides the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the spotlight will be on the performance of the BJP. 🔷  The BJP presence The BJP is unlikely to form the government in any of these States, but it is likely to make its presence felt in a big way by contesting elections either alone or in alliance with smaller regional parties. It is clear that the BJP is trying hard to make its presence felt in the northeastern States. This is not for the sake of adding to its tally in the Lok Sabha (these States account for only five seats), but the BJP is trying hard to send out a signal that its reach extends beyond the Hindi heartland. Even though the BJP is not a dominant political force in the nor...