Is India Winning the War Against Rising Non-Communicable Diseases? The latest health statistics paint a concerning picture: diabetes, heart disease, and cancer rates are climbing, impacting millions across the country. From rural healthcare access to the burgeoning urban health crisis, challenges remain significant. This week, we delve into the crucial initiatives underway – government policies, technological advancements in telemedicine, and the rising role of preventative healthcare – that aim to address this national health emergency. Experts weigh in on the effectiveness of current strategies and the critical need for increased public awareness campaigns targeting lifestyle diseases. Are these efforts enough? Explore Abtak.com's in-depth coverage on healthcare in India and discover the vital information you need to protect your well-being and the future of public health. Stay informed; stay healthy.
KURNOOL: Supplies of medicines in government hospitals across Andhra Pradesh are under severe strain, raising concerns over treatment for poor patients. Availability of essential drugs at state-run hospitals has dwindled significantly over the past few weeks due to rising input costs. Officials said global tensions, including the Iran war, have pushed up crude oil prices, increasing the cost of pharmaceutical inputs and disrupting supply. Drugs meant for the fourth quarter of 2025-26, expected as early as January, have not yet reached central drug stores. Officials say that if supplies do not arrive within the next two weeks, hospitals may face an acute shortage affecting patient care. Emergency medicines are already running low. Antibiotics, saline, operation theatre drugs, and common medicines like paracetamol are in short supply. In one teaching hospital, against a requirement of around 610 types of medicines, only about 255 medicines are currently available. Doctors say these stocks may last only until the end of April. Manufacturers have stepped back, citing a sharp rise in crude-linked raw material costs, which have gone up by 60 to 70 per cent. Several companies in the state have reportedly stopped supplies, especially of surgical items. Hospitals in Kurnool, Nellore, and RIMS Ongole are already facing shortages of gloves and critical medicines. Stocks have depleted at the central drug stores in each district. These are responsible for supplying medicines to all hospitals in the district, from teaching hospitals to primary health centres (PHCs). This has disrupted supply to PHCs and community health centres (CHCs). Doctors warn that CHCs, where a large number of deliveries take place, are facing shortages of drugs used in caesarean procedures. Chemicals required for thyroid tests for pregnant women have run out in some hospitals. An official from AP Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation said, "Suppliers who had taken purchase orders earlier are now unable to supply medicines at those rates. If supplies do not improve within the next 15 days, teaching hospitals will face serious difficulties." Another senior Health department official said, "Crude-based chemicals, solvents, and packaging materials have become expensive, which is affecting manufacturing and delaying supplies to government hospitals." Principal secretary (Health) Saurabh Gour said, "Procurement is being carried out as per indent and budget. Distribution is based on availability in central drug stores and permissions have been given for local purchases. While the essential medicines list has 712 items, Kerala currently has about 287 and Tamil Nadu around 260, Andhra Pradesh has about 348 available," Gour maintained. Hospital network in Andhra Pradesh Category Number of hospitals DME institutions 44 Public Health facilities 1,144 Family Welfare department 558 Secondary Care centres 242 Ayush centres 438 Medicine availability status Essential medicines list 712 Minimum medicines required 650 Currently available medicines 258 Hospitals with about 348 items 30%
India's pharmaceutical industry, valued at $50 billion, is booming as a global leader in generic drugs. With significant exports to 200+ countries, India meets a substantial portion of global demand for affordable medicine. Challenges include regulatory hurdles and quality assurance, as the nation aims to expand its generic drug market. The Indian pharmaceutical industry, currently valued at $50 billion, is playing an increasingly crucial role on the global stage. Renowned as the 'pharmacy of the world,' India's pharma sector is a major exporter, supplying essential generic drugs to over 200 ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
Dantewada (Chhattisgarh) [India] July 15 (ANI): The tribal-dominated Dantewada district is all set to make its footprint visible in the high-octane sport of Thai Kick Boxing, as young athletes here have clinched medals in international as well as national events. With the support of the Chhattisgarh Government, the youth of Dantewada are sharpening their skills and preparing for Thai Kick Boxing events to be held in the country and overseas. As Dantewada moves on the path to becoming a hub for producing Thai Kick Boxers, the district is also ready to shed its infamous identity that emerged du ...Read More >
BALASORE: In a heart-wrenching incident, a man was forced to carry his 17-year-old daughter's body on a trolley rickshaw for around 7 km to a community health centre in Balasore's Baliapal for postmortem after reportedly failing to afford an ambulance. Asha Bindhani, a minor girl suffering from mental illness, reportedly died by suicide on Thursday afternoon in Deula village under Baliapal police limits. After spotting her, locals informed her father Madhu Bindhani and the police. Madhu, a daily wage labourer, rushed to the spot and found his daughter dead. Shortly after, police arrived and ...Read More >
TURA, July 1: In a first-of-its-kind surgery at Baghmara Civil Hospital, a 25-year-old woman underwent an emergency lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) on Tuesday due to foetal distress, resulting in the successful delivery of a baby girl weighing 2.6 kg. Both the mother and the baby are in stable condition, sources confirmed. This marks the first surgery of its kind at Baghmara Civil Hospital following the completion of the new operation theatre. The LSCS was conducted by Dr Susan Sangma and Dr Presiana Shira, both trained in Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Care (CEmOC), with assistan ...Read More >
India's export regulations have been amended by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, now permitting the export of Second Generation (2G) ethanol. This eco-friendly ethanol, derived from non-food sources like agricultural residues, aligns with sustainability goals due to its low CO₂ emissions. Exports necessitate valid authorization and feedstock certification, impacting ethanol under ITC(HS) Code 22072000. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on Wednesday updated India's export ...Read More >
Srinagar- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said foreign countries were told clearly during the post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach that in case of a fresh provocation, India would repeat its action. Speaking at a discussion at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Tharoor said Indian delegations which visited foreign countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor managed to convey that India acted with restraint and responsibility. "In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self- ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) The Indian economy is expected to grow at 6.5 per cent in the current financial year, despite geo-political tensions and trade policy uncertainties, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) Chairman S Mahendra Dev said on Tuesday. In an interview with PTI, Dev further said that domestic growth will be driven by low inflation, resulting from good monsoon and benign interest rate regime, triggered by three back-to-back rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of India. "There are significant global headwinds like the twin shocks of geo-political tensions and trade ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) Two people died and four others were injured after a fire broke out at a house in east Delhi's Old Govindpura area on Tuesday evening, an official said. Police have identified the deceased as Tanveer (28) and Nusrat. A call was received at Jagatpuri police station at 8.46 pm regarding a fire incident at Band Gali, Old Govindpura, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said. When a police team reached the spot, it found that 10 people were trapped inside a residential building that caught fire, the DCP said. With the help of police personnel and fir ...Read More >
Chandigarh: Officials of Municipal Corporation Chandigarh have revealed that the top 20 property tax defaulters of the city are yet to clear dues of over Rs 190 crore, while property tax arrear cases worth Rs 62 crore are under litigation in the Punjab and Haryana high court. Citing different reasons, occupants of seven properties, out of the top 20, have challenged the MC's arrears amount, following which the authority failed to recover the amount from them. All these properties fall under the commercial category. As per official data of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, commercial prope ...Read More >
New Delhi: Delhi govt has prepared a plan under which Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus drivers and conductors will receive regular training, with a focus on ethical values, customer service and safe driving, transport minister Pankaj Singh said on Friday. The move is for improving the public image of DTC buses.The minister mentioned that DTC bus drivers who fail to halt at designated stops or are found speeding will face strict departmental action.Several commuters have complained about the behaviour of DTC bus drivers. There have alleged that the buses often fail to stop at the designate ...Read More >
New Delhi: India has been importing Russian crude oil at discounts ranging from 5 to 30 dollars per barrel for the past three years. According to a report by Moneylife, private companies such as Reliance and Nayara, along with state-owned firms like Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum, pocketed around 65 percent of the benefits from these discounted imports. The Indian government received the remaining 35 percent. Ordinary consumers saw little or no relief at fuel stations. Recent tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, including a 50 percent levy on India, cite India's Russian oil import ...Read More >
Mangaluru (Karnataka), Jul 19 (PTI) MRPL, a subsidiary of ONGC and a Schedule "A" Mini Ratna Category-I company, on Saturday reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 272 crore for the first quarter of FY 2025-26, compared to a profit of Rs 66 crore during the same period last year. According to a statement from Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, the company's Board of Directors approved the Q1 financial results at its 270th meeting held on July 18. The results reflect a decline in revenue from operations, which stood at Rs 20,988 crore in Q1 FY26, down from Rs 27,289 crore in Q1 FY25. ...Read More >
New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will hold meetings with exporters from different sectors, including food processing, textiles, engineering, and chemicals, from August 2-4 in Mumbai to discuss the implications of 25 per cent tariff announced by the US, an industry official said on Friday. The official added that exporters from segments such as fisheries, engineering, IT, and pharma will also participate in the deliberations. Leather sector exporters are expected to meet the minister on August 4 here. The US on Friday slapped a 25 per cent tariff on India, p ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], August 14 (ANI): India's wholesale inflation, measured by the All India Wholesale Price Index (WPI), slipped further into the negative zone in July 2025, standing at (-) 0.58 per cent (provisional) compared to the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. This marks a continuation of the deflationary trend, with the decline largely driven by falling prices of food articles, mineral oils, crude petroleum & natural gas, and basic metals. On a month-to-month basis, however, the WPI rose by 0.39 per cent in July over June 2025. Also Read | BIGBANG ...Read More >
NEW DELHI - President Donald Trump's new list of tariffs on half the world's countries sent the United States' trading partners scrambling to understand how their businesses will be affected. India got the bad news a day earlier - its goods face a tariff of 25 per cent or more - but the extra time was hardly enough to adjust to the fresh chaos. Indian negotiators had not expected to conclude a meaningful deal in time to meet Mr Trump's revised deadline of Aug 1. But they did expect to be treated as well as their neighbours, and to keep haggling with US officials until October or November, w ...Read More >
Bengaluru: For millions of people, the sudden, sharp pain of tooth due to sensitivity can turn a sip of cold water into a jolt. Now, researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in collaboration with Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup Theranautilus, have engineered "CalBots" - magnetic nanobots that can seal the problem at its source.As per IISc, CalBots are 400-nanometre particles loaded with a calcium silicate-based bioceramic formula, designed to travel 500 micrometres deep inside dentinal tubules, the tiny tunnels in the tooth that lead to nerve endings. Guided by an external magnetic ...Read More >
MUMBAI: Corporate India showed signs of renewed vigour in 2024-25, with listed private non-financial companies reporting a sales growth of 7.2%, an improvement from the anaemic 4.7% recorded the previous year. Data from Reserve Bank of India, based on financial statements of 3,902 listed non-government non-financial firms, point to a broad-based if uneven recovery-tempered by rising input costs and tightening margins.Manufacturing companies saw sales climb by 6.0%, up from 3.5% the year before. The uptick owed much to strong performances in automobiles, electrical machinery, food and beverages ...Read More >
HYDERABAD: With the kharif season underway and farmers facing an acute shortage of urea, agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has written to the Centre, urging immediate intervention to ensure timely and sufficient supply of the critical fertiliser. In letters addressed to Union minister for chemicals and fertilisers JP Nadda, Tummala highlighted the alarming gap between the state's demand and actual supply. The minister said the Centre had allocated five lakh metric tonnes of urea to Telangana for the months of April, May, and June. However, only 3.06 lakh metric tonnes have been suppli ...Read More >
Hyderabad, July 6 (Maxim News): In a major boost to employment opportunities in the banking sector, public sector banks (PSBs) are set to recruit around 50,000 personnel during the current financial year (FY2025), according to data compiled from various banks. The move is aimed at supporting expanding business operations, enhancing customer services, and strengthening digital and physical infrastructure. The State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest lender, is leading the hiring wave with plans to employ nearly 20,000 people in FY2025. This includes both probationary officers and speci ...Read More >
Lucknow, Jul 17 (PTI) To curb illegal mining and transportation, the Uttar Pradesh government is deploying advanced technologies under the Integrated Mining Surveillance System (IMSS), a release said on Thursday. Mining activities are already being monitored through drones, geo-fencing, RFID tags, and AI-powered check gates. Now, the state is set to introduce 'Weigh-In-Motion' (WIM) technology to accurately track vehicle overloading. Also Read | 'Arvind Kejriwal Used Government Funds to Buy Mobiles Costing Up to INR 1.63 Lakh', Claims Delhi Minister Ashish Sood. According to the official re ...Read More >
New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) India's exports rose 6.7 per cent to USD 35.1 billion in August annually, while imports declined 10.12 per cent to USD 61.59 billion, according to government data released on Monday. Gold imports were down nearly 56 per cent in August, helping to trim merchandise trade deficit to USD 26.49 billion in August, as against USD 35.64 billion in the year-ago month. The US was top exporting destination for India at USD 6.86 billion showing a growth of 7.15 per cent year-on-year, followed by the UAE (USD 3.24 billion), the Netherland (USD 1.83 billion), China (USD 1.21 billio ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 26 (ANI): The Pharmaceutical companies and chemists in Shimla have begun implementing the revised GST night tariff on medicines, bringing much-needed relief to patients and the poor. Managers and pharmacy owners in the capital confirmed that the new reforms, effective as of September 22, have already reduced the prices of many essential and life-saving medications. Mahesh Bisht, Manager at a pharmaceutical company, explained the changes, "From September 22, the new GST reforms and tariffs have come into effect. Items that were earlier under the 12% ...Read More >
New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) India and the US have decided to continue negotiations for early conclusion of a mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement, the Commerce Ministry said on Friday. The statement was issued after the return of the Indian official delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to New York for trade talks. The delegation returned on September 24 after holding three-day talks. Both sides held constructive meetings on various aspects of the trade deal, the ministry said in a statement. "Both sides exchanged views on possible contours of the deal, and it ...Read More >
The longer-term implications are complex. India is achieving its fuel-blending targets, but at the cost of crop diversity. India's farmlands are in the middle of a quiet-but-dramatic shift. New government data show that crops linked to the ethanol economy -- sugarcane and maize -- are steadily expanding, while oilseeds like soybean, a critical crop for the country's edible oil security, are losing ground. This pattern is visible across states, being reinforced by policy incentives guaranteeing demand for ethanol feedstock. Bump for some The Ministry of Agriculture's latest weekly progress r ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday announced the provisional attachment of assets worth approximately ₹131.45 crore in Spain, including a luxury yacht and immovable properties, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). These assets belong to Pavel Prozorov, a Spanish national and the alleged mastermind behind the unauthorised forex trading platform OctaFX. The attached assets comprise a commercial Italian-model luxury yacht cruising in the Western Mediterranean, a minijet boat, a luxury car, and two residential properties in Spain. The ED's probe was launched ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 16 (ANI): India's goods trade deficit is projected to widen to USD 300 billion in FY26, up from USD 287 billion in FY25, as weak global demand weighs on exports while resilient domestic consumption is expected to fuel higher imports, as anticipated by ICICI Bank Global Markets in its latest report. The report attributes the sluggish growth in merchandise exports largely to tepid demand from non-US markets. While shipments to the US have held up due to the front-loading of trade, exports to other key geographies have failed to gain momentum. Also Read | China Shocker: ...Read More >
India 'Cashes In' On Russia's Oil 'Crisis': How Ukraine's Drone Strikes Are 'Helping' India Tuesday, September 16, 2025 by Indian Defence News India has leveraged the disruption caused by Ukraine's intensified drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, which have significantly reduced Russia's processing capacity and created bottlenecks in global supply. With Russia forced to offload crude at even steeper discounts, India has sharply increased its intake, ensuring both cost savings for its refiners and strong refining spreads at a time of tight global diesel availability. Refinery margins hav ...Read More >
New Delhi: India is engaged with the US and other stakeholders over the framing of rules for the Trump administration's move to levy a fee of $100,000 for H-1B visas, with the ministry of external affairs (MEA) saying on Friday that the mobility of skilled Indian talent contributes to innovation and economic growth in both countries. The new fee, announced by US President Donald Trump last week as part of measures to prevent the abuse of the H-1B visa programme -- perceived as a "national security threat" -- and to restrict the entry of non-immigrant workers, is expected to impact Indian nati ...Read More >
Hyderabad: The dryer explosion at Sigachi Industries in Pashamylaram, which killed over 35 workers and injured dozens, stands as the deadliest industrial accident in the history of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and among the worst in India's chemical sector. In past five years, the two states have witnessed several fatal explosions in chemical and pharma manufacturing units.The last major incident took place on August 21, 2024, when 17 workers died and more than 35 were injured in a massive explosion at Escientia Pharma in the Atchutapuram SEZ of Andhra Pradesh. Months before that, in April 20 ...Read More >