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Renowned water conservationist Rajendra Singh on Sunday described the death of at least six persons due to contaminated drinking water in Indore as a "system-created disaster" and alleged that corruption lay at the root of the tragedy. If such a tragedy can occur in the country's cleanest city, it shows how serious would the condition of drinking water supply systems in other cities, Singh, a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner and widely hailed as waterman of India', told PTI. Civic officials have said a leakage was found in the main drinking water supply pipeline near a police outpost in the Bhagirthpura area, at a spot over which a toilet has been constructed. They claimed that the drinking water got contaminated due to this leakage. "Indore's contaminated drinking water crisis is a system-created disaster. To save money, contractors lay drinking water pipelines close to drainage lines. Corruption has ruined the entire system. The Indore tragedy is the result of this corrupt system," ..
The Union Health Ministry has banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of all oral formulations containing the popular painkiller nimesulide above 100 mg, citing serious risks to health, an official notification said. The decision was taken following a recommendation by ICMR, the apex health research body of India, it said. "The Central government is satisfied that the use of all oral formulations containing Nimesulide above 100 mg in immediate release dosage form is likely to involve risk to human beings and that safer alternatives to the said drug are available," the notification issued on Monday said. It stated that it is necessary and expedient in the public interest to prohibit the manufacture, sale and distribution of the drug in the country for human use. "Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and after consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board, the Centre, hereby prohibits the manufacture, sal
BJP MP K Laxman on Thursday urged the government to ensure transparent and standardised medical billing, as he raised concerns over "exploitation practices" by private hospitals. Raising the issue in the Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Laxman said in the absence of norms, many families are pushed into hardship due to medical bills. "There is a rise in exploitative practices by certain private corporate hospitals. Reports from patients, civil society and consumer bodies point to a disturbing pattern of unnecessary diagnostic tests, unwanted prolonged hospital stays with no clinical justification, and opaque billing processes," Laxman said. "Absence of transparent norms leaves people with little choice, pushing many families into hardship. Reports highlight they charge Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 as OPD, which is not covered under schemes like Ayushman Bharat," he said. The BJP MP urged the government to take steps to ensure transparent billing. "I urge the government to ensure transparent .