Page 825 - Social Issues

Health insurance considered expensive, underpenetrated in India: Report

While India's healthcare sector remains a key sector for development; health insurance remains underpenetrated and expensive in the eyes of consumers, according to a joint study conducted by FICCI and EY.Health Insurance is a key pillar; not just for a family's physical health, but also for their financial well-being. It enables access to appropriate health care while reducing the impact of an untoward health event on a family's earning and payment capacity.Insurers have been working tirelessly to expand coverage and distribution, leveraging newer distribution models and technology to reduce the cost of acquisition and consequently bring down the cost of cover for consumers. This is in addition to several governmental initiatives and the work that the regulator is doing to enhance awareness, as well as quality of service to consumers.To this regard, a report titled "Distribution 2.0 - Improving Distribution in Health Insurance" released by T S Vijayan, Chairman, IRDAI at FICCI's 10th .

Nationwide survey on the impact of drug abuse, alcoholism

With no reliable data available on the spate of drug abuse and alcoholism, the government has undertaken a national survey on the issue which is likely to be published in March, the Lok Sabha was informed today. Responding to supplementaries, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot said Rs 21 crore worth of funds have been allocated for the survey. He said the number of people turning up at de-addiction centres indicated that the number of addicts was increasing as also the fact that more and more people were being cured. In his written submission, the minister said the last national survey on the extent, pattern and trend of drug abuse was carried out in 2000-01. The report, which was published in 2004, had said that an estimated 7.32 crore persons were "users" of alcohol and drugs. Of these, 87 lakh used cannabis, 20 used opiates and 6.25 crore used alcohol. The survey covered only 40,697 males within the age group of 12-60 years. The survey did not .

Twitter suspends accounts of British far-right group leaders

Soon after announcing its implementation of revised rules on hate speech, Twitter has suspended the accounts of two leaders of a British far-right group, media reported.

Health insurance remains underpenetrated and expensive in the eyes of consumers in India: FICCI-EY Knowledge Paper

Despite the effort put in till date, there is still a significant opportunity to expand distribution, while reducing the cost of customer acquisition and servicing. In order to deep-dive into issues that the industry faces and the hindrances towards improving distribution of health insurance in India, FICCI and EY conducted a joint study. A report titled "Distribution 2.0 - Improving Distribution in Health Insurance" released by Mr. T S Vijayan, Chairman, IRDAI at FICCI's 10th Annual Health Insurance Conference provides key insights and recommendations designed to enhance the distribution (and acceptance) of Health Insurance.

Infertility clinic to be set up at Dr Ram Manohar Hospital

The state-run Dr Ram Manohar Hospital here will soon become the first government hospital in the state to have an infertility clinic. In a statement issued by the UP government yesterday, UP Health Minister Siddhartha Nath Singh said, "The clinic will deal with infertility issues of both men and women." The director of the Dr Ram Manohar Sanyukt Chikitsalaya, DS Negi, said, "Infertility is not only a physical disease, but it also assumes the shape of mental tension and social problem which creates anger, loneliness and sadness." He said most couples suffer from primary infertility while secondary infertility occurs in women after first childbirth. "In the world, around 50-80 crore couples suffer from infertility, while in India the number of such couples is nearly 13-19 crore," he said.

UP: Two women commits suicide in separate incidents

Two women, in separate incidents, allegedly committed suicide here due to domestic problems in their houses, police said today. In-charge of the Naraini police station SK Pandey said both the incidents took place yesterday. Where 25-year-old Raja Devi, a resident of Risaura village, hanged herself to death after an altercation with her husband, Munni Devi(55) committed suicide by consuming poison, the officer said. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, and cases have been registered for further enquiry into both the incidents, he added.

Myanmar army investigating mass grave in Rakhine

Myanmar's army says it is investigating a mass grave found in a village in northern Rakhine state, a region where the UN has accused troops of committing atrocities against Rohingya Muslims. Northern Rakhine has been nearly emptied of its Muslim population since late August, when an army crackdown on Rohingya rebels sent more than 655,000 refugees fleeing across the border to Bangladesh. The UN, US and rights groups have accused Myanmar of carrying out a systematic ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless Muslim minority, with Doctors Without Borders estimating that at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in the first month of violence. On Tuesday Human Rights Watch released a report detailing the army's "systematic killings and rape" of hundreds of Rohingya in Tula Toli village in northern Rakhine on August 30, adding new testimony to an event that has been documented by journalists and rights groups based on accounts from refugees. But Myanmar's army has denied all

India tops list of migrants living abroad at 17 million: UN

India has topped the list of people living abroad at 17 million with about 5 million Indians residing in the Gulf region alone, according to a new UN report. Mexico, Russia, China, Bangladesh, Syria, Pakistan and Ukraine also have large migrant populations living abroad, ranging from 6 to 11 million each, according to the 2017 International Migration Report released here. In 2017, India was the largest country of origin of international migrants at 17 million, followed by Mexico at 13 million. Other countries of origin with large migrant populations include the Russia at 11 million, China at 10 million, Bangladesh at 7 million, Syria at 7 million and Pakistan and Ukraine at 6 million each. The number of migrants from India now reside in multiple destination countries, including the UAE at 3 million, the US and Saudi Arabia at 2 million each, the report said. There are now an estimated 258 million people living in a country other than their country of birth an increase ..

Air pollution can make teens aggressive: study

Higher levels of air pollution may increase the risk of delinquent behaviour among teenagers, a study has warned. Tiny, toxic particles creep into developing brains, cause inflammation and may damage brain pathways responsible for emotion and decisions, researchers said. The finding is a reminder of the importance of clean air and the need for more foliage in urban spaces, they said. Tiny pollution particles called particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) - 30 times smaller than a strand of hair - are extremely harmful to health, according to Diana Younan, lead author of the study. "These tiny, toxic particles creep into your body, affecting your lungs and your heart," said Younan, a research associate at University of Southern California (USC) in the US. "PM2.5 is particularly harmful to developing brains because it can damage brain structure and neural networks and, as our study suggests, influence adolescent behaviours," she said. The study, published in the Journal of Abnormal

Helping strangers boosts confidence in teens: study

Teens who selflessly help or share with strangers are more likely to have higher self-esteem a year later, according to a study. Scientists at the Brigham Young University (BYU) in the US found that the same was not true for those in the study who exhibited prosocial behaviour solely to friends and family. "This study helps us to understand that young people who help those with whom they do not have a relationship report feeling better about themselves over time," said Laura Padilla-Walker, professor at BYU. "Given the importance of self-esteem during the teen years, this is an important finding," Padilla-Walker said. "It suggests there might be something about helping strangers that impacts one's moral identity or perceptions of self in a more significant way than helping friends or family members, although these are beneficial behaviours as well," she said. Previous research has shown that teens who exhibit these positive behaviours stay out of trouble and have better .

Ceiling for contribution of Hon'ble MPs in case of calamity of severe nature raised from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore

Year End Review of Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation ( MoSPI)

Sarah Palin's son Track accused of assaulting his father

Sarah Palin's oldest son, Track, has been arraigned on charges that he assaulted his father at the family's home in Alaska. Police were called to the home Saturday night, after Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, told police her son was "freaking out" and on some type of medication, according to an affidavit by Wasilla Police Officer Adam LaPointe. The affidavit states that Todd Palin was bleeding from cuts on his head. He told police the dispute began when Track Palin, 28, called to retrieve his truck. Todd Palin said he told Track Palin not to come but that his son said he would come anyway to beat him up. Todd Palin told police he got his pistol "to protect his family." Track Palin told police he broke a window, disarmed his father and put him on the ground. LaPointe wrote that Todd Palin and Sarah Palin had left the home when police arrived and that Sarah Palin was visibly upset. Track Palin yelled at officers, ...

Data requests from India surged in 1st half of 2017 : Facebook

The Indian government requested Facebook for data 9,853 times in the first half of 2017 - up from 6,324 times in the first half of 2016 -- Facebook's latest 'Government Requests Report' revealed on Tuesday.

Japan executes two murderers, including teenage killer

Japan today executed two convicted murderers, including one who committed his crime while in his teens, the justice ministry said, ignoring calls from international rights groups to end capital punishment. The hangings of Teruhiko Seki and Kiyoshi Matsui bring to 21 the total number of executions since conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to power in late 2012. Seki, 44, was convicted of killing four people in Chiba, southeast of Tokyo, in 1992 when he was 19, the ministry said. It was the first execution of a death-row prisoner who committed crimes as a minor since 1997 in Japan, local media said. People are considered adults at the age of 20 in Japan. Matsui, 69, was sentenced to death for killing his girlfriend and her parents in 1994. Both were seeking a retrial, local media said. Though not unprecedented, it is rare in Japan to put to death those appealing for a fresh trial. "They were extremely cruel cases," Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa told reporters. "I ...

Michael Kirby: The rainbow in Asia and fight for gay rights in our region

This is an edited version of a speech delivered by Michael Kirby at the Sydney Institute on December 14

Four police killed by separatists in anglophone Cameroon

Four police officers were killed in an attack by suspected separatists in Cameroon's English- speaking region, a government minister said, the latest violence to strike the country's troubled west. "Unfortunately an attack took the lives of four of our police officers, coldly murdered this Monday in Kembong," Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma said, referring to a region that has witnessed a spike in violence by separatists. English-speakers account for some 20 percent of Cameroon's population of 23 million but have long chafed under the rule of 84-year-old president Paul Biya, one of the world's longest serving leaders. The minority dates to the emergence of Cameroon in 1960- 61 as France and Britain wound down their colonies in west Africa. Anglophones have long protested against what they perceive to be a bias in favour of the French-speaking majority. Since November 2016, resentment has fed demands for autonomy or a separate state but the government has responded

Iraqi refugee jailed 16 years for Islamic State support

A refugee from Iraq was sentenced by a Houston court to 16 years in prison for seeking to join Islamic State and learn bomb-making skills. Omar Faraj Saeed al-Hardan, a 25-year-old of Palestinian origin who was born in Iraq and lived in refugee camps in Iraq and Jordan, was accepted into the United States in 2009. He earned his permanent residency two years later and, according to US law enforcement, in 2013 began communicating with another refugee in California, discussing traveling to Syria to fight for the Al-Nusrah jihadist group. The next year, he discussed with an FBI informant his hopes of traveling to fight with the Islamic State group and a desire to be trained in making detonators for improvised explosive devices. He and the FBI informant also practiced shooting with an AK-47, and Hardan posted statements in support of Islamic State online, according to the Justice Department. He was arrested in January 2016 and charged with providing material support to ...

1,179 ASU&H drug manufacturers not compliant with GMP: Govt

There are 8,667 licenced Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy (ASU&H) drug manufacturers in the country, out of which 1,179 are reported to be not compliant with the prescribed Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), the government said. Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha said, 7,488 ASU&H drug manufacturers are reported to be complying with the prescribed GMP. "Non-compliance of the GMP by 1,179 ASU&H drug manufacturers has been reported in 16 states, including 12 Ayurvedic drug manufacturers, in the state of Assam. "The status of the GMP compliance by the ASU&H drug manufacturing units is periodically reviewed by the Ministry of AYUSH and the necessary directions are given to the concerned state authorities to take action against the defaulters in accordance with the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945," he said.

'Over 40 lakh sq mr agri land illegally converted in Goa'

Over 40 lakh square metres of orchard and agricultural land has been illegally converted in Goa, State Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai told the Legislative Assembly today. He also announced that a comprehensive legislation will be brought in the next Budget session to check such activity. Sardesai was addressing the House during passing of the amendment to TCP (Town and Country Planning) Bill, 2017, making it mandatory to get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the department for the sale of orchard or agricultural land in the state. "We will introduce a comprehensive legislation during the upcoming budget session," the minister said. He said the only intention of the government to bring such legislation is to have a planned development. Sardesai said huge tracts of orchard and agriculture land were converted illegally thereby allowing unplanned and illegal development. "More than 40 lakh square metres of land is converted so far and we have to stop ..

Par Panel tells govt to conduct study to modify EOU scheme

A Parliamentary panel has asked the commerce ministry to conduct a comprehensive study to identify the shortcomings in the Export Oriented Unit scheme and take remedial action in a time-bound manner so as to avoid shifting of EOUs to Special Economic Zones. In its report placed in Parliament today, the Public Accounts Committee chaired by former minister Mallikarjun Kharge observed that as the EOU scheme is neither able to attract entrepreneurs nor contribute to the export growth, the Ministry of Commerce should conduct a comprehensive study so as to modify the scheme to make it more attractive. "The Committee are also unhappy that their recommendation for high powered independent inquiry to find out elements responsible for rampant abuse of this scheme and fix responsibility of officials was completely ignored," said the panel in the report on action taken by the government on recommendations related the performance of 100 per cent EOU Scheme, related to Ministry of ...