Category:

Policy

World economy risks ‘dangerously diverging’ even as growth booms

For the year as whole, Bloomberg Economics forecasts growth of 6.9%, the quickest in records dating back to the 1960s. Behind the buoyant outlook: a shrinking virus threat, expanding US stimulus, and trillions of dollars in pent-up savings.

Much will depend on how fast countries can inoculate their populations with the risk that the longer it takes the greater the chance the virus remains an international threat especially if new variants develop. Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker shows while the US has administered doses equivalent to almost a quarter of its people, the European Union has yet to hit 10% and rates in Mexico, Russia and Brazil are less than 6%.

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Health Minister Vardhan approves National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021

“The Rare Diseases Policy aims to lower the high cost of treatment for rare diseases with increased focus on indigenous research with the help of a national consortium to be set up with the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as convenor,” it said.

The policy also talks about the creation of national hospital based registry of rare diseases so that adequate data is available for definition of such diseases and for research and development related to rare diseases within the country, it said.

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Govt proposes to establish alternate funding, increase assistance in new Rare Disease Policy Draft

Noting that India has close to 50-100 million people affected by rare diseases or disorders, the policy report said almost 80 per cent of these rare condition patients are children and a leading cause for most of them not reaching adulthood is due to the high morbidity and mortality rates of these life-threatening diseases.

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Increase testing, Centre to 12 states, UTs reporting surge in cases as India records sharpest weekly rise since May last

Besides the ”strong advice” given by the Centre for a significant increase of testing in all districts in line with their positivity rate, the strategy to be adopted included effective isolation and contact tracing of that infected, Re-invigoration of Public and Private Healthcare resources, ensuring of COVID Appropriate Behaviour and targeted approach to vaccination in districts reporting large numbers.

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There’s need to integrate various regulatory agencies with single-window system: Pharma secy

The medical devices industry, which is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per cent, holds the highest growth potential among all the constituents of the healthcare sector such as pharma and hospital services, an official statement said quoting S Aparna, secretary of Department of Pharmaceuticals, under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers.

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Parliament approves Budget 2021, paves the way for LIC listing

Parliament cleared changes to the finance Bill 2021, doubling the minimum limit of employee contribution to provident fund to over Rs 5 lakh for the purpose of taxation with some riders, paving the way for the listing of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), exempting Indian-owned assets sold on digital platforms from equalization levy, and giving tax holidays for the proposed development finance institutions (DFIs).

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