L A T E S T      N E W S

Karnataka Law Minister resigns

Bangalore: Karnataka Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development S Suresh Kumar resigned today in the wake of charges that he had secured a residential site violating rules.

"The Minister has submitted his resignation letter (to the Chief Minister) and also written to the Bangalore Development Authority, surrendering the site allotted to him", sources close to him told PTI here.

Mr Kumar decided to resign on moral grounds, they said.

Sadananda Gowda is yet to take a decision on Kumar's resignation.

Mr Kumar was allotted a 4000-square-feet site by the Bangalore Development Authority by former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa under the discretionary quota.

He faced charges that he secured the allotment though his kin, including his mother and daughter, who owned a house and two sites.

IIT Directors' meet today

New Delhi: In the backdrop of raging row over government proposal for single entrance test, IIT Directors will meet in Delhi today to chalk out a plan of action amid indications that some more of the elite institutions could follow Delhi and Kanpur in rejecting it.

The meeting of the IIT Joint Admission Board, comprising Directors of these institutions, is taking place ahead of the June 27 meeting convened by the government of IIT Council, the highest decision-making body headed by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Directors of all the 16 IITs.

The controversy has led to uncertainty among the student community as IITs have been divided, with at least two of them -- Delhi and Kanpur -- rejecting the government proposal and deciding to have a separate exam.

The Board will discuss implications of the government's May 28 announcement under which aspiring candidates for IITs and other central institutes like NITs and IIITs will have to sit from 2013 under a new format of common entrance test which will also take plus-two board results into consideration.

The Board is also expected to deliberate upon the simmering discontent among the faculty of the IITs over the government's move, sources said.

The meeting takes place against the backdrop of IIT Delhi and Kanpur rejecting the government proposal and deciding to have separate exam. There are indications that IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur may follow their Delhi and Kanpur counterparts.

Today's meeting assumes significance as it will precede the special meeting of IIT Council called to deliberate on the controversy.

Free medicines in govt hospitals from Oct

NEW DELHI: India's ambitious policy to provide free medicines to all patients attending a government health facility across the country will be rolled out from October.

Strongly backed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself, the free-medicines-for-all scheme — being referred to as the "real game changer" — has received its first financial allocation of Rs 100 crore from the Planning Commission for 2012-13.

The entire programme, however, is estimated to cost Rs 28,560 crore over the 12th five year plan.

At present, the public sector provides healthcare to 22% of the country's population.

The ministry estimates that this will increase to 52% by 2017 once medicines are provided for free from 1.6 lakh sub-centres, 23,000 primary health centres, 5,000 community health centres and 640 district hospitals.

The ministry has sent the National List of Essential Medicines, 2011, (348 drugs which includes anti-AIDS, analgesics, anti-ulcers, anti psychotic, sedatives, anesthetic agents, lipid lowering agents, steroids and anti platelet drugs) to all the states to use as reference.

The states, however, have been asked to create their own Essential Drugs List (EDL), keeping in mind the diseases that worst affect them. Around 75% of the funds under the scheme will be borne by the Centre, while the rest will be the state's responsibility.

Around 5% of the district funds will be allowed to be used to purchase drugs outside the EDL. The Cabinet has approved the setting up of a Central Procurement Agency (CPA) for bulk procurement of drugs.

The PMO has asked the ministry to set up the CPA as early as possible. At present, 78% of the entire health expenditure in India is from out of pocket (OOP). Purchasing drugs alone accounts for 72% of this OOP expenditure.

Additional secretary in the ministry L C Goyal said a scientific committee will have to draw up the EDL list for the states.

They have also been asked to devise standard treatment protocols in order to avoid unnecessary and irrational treatments.

Daily wages under NREGA in TN hiked

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today increased the daily wages under the centrally-sponsored MNREGA in the state by Rs 13, benefiting about 25 lakh workers.

"Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has directed increasing the daily wages to Rs 132 from Rs 119," a state government release here said.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MNREGA), a flagship poverty eradication programme of the UPA government, envisages providing 100 days of employment to the rural poor.