Health

Mumbai, Dec 3 (IANS) The Indian stock market opened on a quiet note on Wednesday, with both benchmark indices showing minimal movement in early trade.The Sensex inched up by just 12 points to 85,151, while the Nifty slipped 18 points to 26,014.Most of the major Sensex stocks were trading in the red, dragging the indices sideways. Shares of HUL, Titan, Tata Motors PV, NTPC, BEL, Trent, Bajaj Finserv, Kotak Bank, Ultratech Cement, Maruti Suzuki, L&T, Power Grid, and ITC were among the top losers in the morning session.Despite the broader weakness, some heavyweights helped limit the downside. TCS, Infosys, Eternal, HCL Tech, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, and Adani Ports were trading higher, providing support to the indices.In the broader market, mid- and small-cap stocks showed resilience. Th...

New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS) A total of Rs 4,763.34 crore worth investment has been made in the three and a half years under the scheme for Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks till September 2025, against an investment commitment of Rs 4,329.95 crore over the period of six years in greenfield projects, according to the government.The PLI scheme for Bulk Drugs is aimed at avoiding disruption in supply of critical Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) used to make critical drugs for which there are no alternatives by reducing supply disruption risk due to excessive dependence on single source. The scheme has a budgetary outlay of Rs 6,940 crore.“Further, production capacities have been created for 26 KSMs/DIs/APIs, which were earlier primarily imported. The scheme has resulted in cumulative sales of ...

New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) A total of 600 districts in the country have been providing palliative care to patients suffering from chronic life-limiting illnesses, the Union Health Minister informed the Parliament on Tuesday.The government launched the National Programme for Palliative Care (NPPC) in 2012 to provide pain relief and symptom management for patients with life-limiting illnesses like cancer and AIDS.“Six hundred districts have been covered under the National Program for Palliative Care (NPPC) till October 2025,” Nadda said in Rajya Sabha.The Minister informed that Madhya Pradesh is leading, with 51 functional palliative care centres, followed by Gujarat with 41 and Rajasthan with 42 centres.Further, over 12.6 lakh patients availed OPD services at the Palliative care centres in 202...

New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) The national telemedicine service, known as eSanjeevani, has facilitated more than 43 crore consultations till November 23, said Union Minister for Health Prataprao Jadhav in the Parliament on Tuesday.eSanjeevani has been designed to be an inclusive and accessible platform, providing free teleconsultation services to all, ensuring that even the economically disadvantaged can benefit from quality healthcare.“The services are operational across all 28 states, and 8 Union Territories of India, and over 43 crore consultations have been facilitated as on November 23, 2025,” Jadhav said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.“While the platform does not record the socioeconomic status of patients, its widespread adoption, especially in rural and underserved areas, indicate...

New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) India’s banks have settled more than Rs 10,000 crore worth of unclaimed deposits in the last three years, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed that both Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Private Sector Banks have handed back thousands of inactive or forgotten accounts to rightful claimants between April 2022 and November 2025.Under Reserve Bank of India’s Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund Scheme, banks are required to transfer balances from savings, current, and term deposit accounts that remain unclaimed for 10 years to a central fund managed by the RBI.As of June 30, 2025, Public Sector Banks had transferred over Rs 58,000 crore to this fund, with the State...

New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Emphasis on inclusivity and self-reliance for everyone is driving a strong movement for disability rights in India, said the government on Tuesday.According to the Census 2011, there are 2.68 crore persons with disabilities in India, which constitutes 2.21 percent of the total population. Out of these, approximately 1.50 crore are male, and 1.18 crore are female.The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, defined "person with disability" as someone who has a long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairment which, in interaction with barriers, hinders their full and effective participation in society equally with others.“In India, where diversity thrives as the cornerstone of national identity, a strong movement for disability rights is growing,...

New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) India’s startup ecosystem continues to expand at a steady pace, with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recognising 1,97,692 startups as on October 31, 2025, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Nearly two lakh startups have been formally recognised under the Startup India initiative, which was launched in 2016 to promote entrepreneurship and ease doing business, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.Along with rising numbers, startups have also emerged as a major source of job creation.Till October 31, recognised startups have reported creating more than 21.11 lakh direct jobs.Maharashtra remains a leading hub, with 34,444 recognised startups that have generated over 3.76 lakh jobs -- one ...

New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) India is well-positioned to tackle digital inequality and shape an inclusive transition in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the world, said a new United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report released on Tuesday.While AI is advancing at a historic pace, strong digital ecosystems in some countries and limited connectivity, skills, and infrastructure in others are widening gaps.The report, focussed on the Asia Pacific region, warned that without deliberate action, AI could widen gaps in income, opportunity, and governance, reversing years of progress in reducing global inequality.However, it showed that India’s digital public infrastructure, expanding AI research ecosystem, and large technology workforce provide a strong foundation to scale AI for public value.“I...

New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS) India is not only protecting its citizens, but also supporting other countries in achieving control of HIV/AIDS, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said on Monday.Speaking at the occasion of World AIDS Day at Vigyan Bhawan, Nadda reaffirmed India’s commitment to accelerating progress toward ending AIDS as a public health threat.He also lauded the efforts of the Indian pharma industry for developing medicines, diagnostics that not only helped India put up a fight against AIDS but also supported other nations."India leads the fight against AIDS globally, upholding responsibility towards all humanity," Nadda said."India not only protects its own but also supports the world in AIDS Control by supplying affordable and quality medicines across the globe," he added.Nadda hig...

New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS) Simplifying submissions of life digital life certificate, particularly for super senior pensioners, the Department of Pensions and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) has generated 1.54 crores of Digital Life Certificate (DLC), the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said on Monday.Under DLC Campaign 4.0 held from November 1-30, more than 91 lakh DLCs -- representing more than 60 per cent -- were generated using Face Authentication Technology. It is a 230 times increase compared to the 3.0 Campaign.More than 11 lakh DLCs were submitted by pensioners aged 80.“This groundbreaking technology proved particularly beneficial for elderly pensioners with faded fingerprints, differently-abled individuals facing mobility challenges, and Pensioners living in rural an...