Draft norms on health insurance policies soon: IRDA

STAFF WRITER 18:56 HRS IST
New Delhi, July 30 (PTI) Insurance regulator IRDA today said that it will soon come out with draft norms that define terms like critical illness and hospitalisation cost, among others, a move that will reduce the scope for disputes between insurers and hospitals.

"I carry with me the draft regulations (on health insurance policies). It will be out very soon," IRDA Chairman J Harinarayan said at a Ficci Health Insurance Conference here.

He said that the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) would lay down a standard definition for major critical illnesses under health insurance, which would reduce confusion between Third Party Administrators (TPAs), insurers and policyholders.

EC derecognises RJD as national party

NEW DELHI: It was a shortlived status for Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal as the Election Commission on Friday derecognised it as a national party along with five other parties.

The only consolation for Lalu is that his rival party in Bihar, JD(U), has also lost the national status. Others in the list are Vaiko-led MDMK, Samajwadi Party, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Arunachal Congress.

EC officials said these parties may retain their symbol, but they would lose facilities like utilising public broadcasters All India Radio and Doordarshan for poll-eve broadcasts and free copies of electoral rolls.

RJD, a recognised party in Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur and Nagaland, lost its national party recognition following its poor showing in Jharkhand where the party has been derecognised. To get the national party status, a party should be recognised as a state party in at least four states.

The Arunachal Congress lost its state party status in Arunachal Pradesh, PMK in Puducherry and Samajwadi Party in Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. JD(U), a recognised party in Bihar and Jharkhand, lost its recognition in Jharkhand. However, PMK will continue to be accorded the state party status in Tamil Nadu and Samajwadi Party a similar privilege in Uttar Pradesh.

Trinamool Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which were also served notices earlier, sought more time to present their case, EC sources said. The Commission had earlier issued notices to these seven parties asking them to explain why their recognition in some states should not be withdrawn as they failed to fulfil EC's conditions for being declared as a state party.

The EC conditions for getting recognition include that the total number of valid votes polled by all the candidates of a party in the last Lok Sabha or assembly election should not be less than 6% of the total votes polled.

Food inflation in single digits

NEW DELHI: For the first time this year, food inflation shrunk to single digit at less than 10% in the week ended July 17, providing the government a much-needed shield to ward off concentrated Opposition attack in and outside Parliament over rising food and fuel prices.

Continuing its downtrend for the second week in a row, the index slid 2.8 percentage points in the week under review from 12.47% in the preceding week. If the trend continues, it will also help headline inflation to cool and ease pressure on further tightening of key rates.

The latest slide, greatly due to high base affect, has been driven by falling prices of vegetables, especially potato and onion. This is the first time food inflation has come down to single digit since the government started giving separate figures for primary articles in November 2009.

"It is a very welcome news. Inflation has moved pretty much on cues as I had expected. It feels good. However, it should not be overinterpreted," the government's chief economic adviser Kaushik Basu said. Basu's caution is not misplaced. Thursday's data still shows pulses, milk and fruits becoming costlier by 21.23%, 19% and 12.14%, respectively, from a year-ago period.

The government has been under sustained attack from the Opposition parties, particulalry the BJP, for failing to check rising food prices. The NDA had even called a nationwide shutdown on July 5 which saw right wing BJP and the Left parties coming together on the issue. The Opposition also stalled Parliament over the issue, leading to adjournment of the proceedings in both the Houses.

TOI

Govt puts cap on berths allotted to cancer patients in trains

Govt puts cap on berths allotted to cancer patients in trains

New Delhi, July 29: The Government today said it has put a cap on the number of berths alloted to cancer patients under emergency quota to accommodate VIPs after receiving instances that the quota was being entirely used by the patients. “The limit was imposed after receiving references from zonal railways where they were unable to accommodate VIPs on self travel when the entire quota was being utilised by the cancer patients,” Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa informed the Lok Sabha.

In a written reply, he said such instances came especially during the rush season leaving Railways with no emergency quota. Railways provide 100 per cent concession to cancer patients in sleeper and 3-AC classes. In 2-AC and 1-AC they enjoy 50 per cent concession. A matching concession is also extended to their escorts. Muniyappa said instances of cancer patients utilising all quota have been reported mostly in trains bound for Mumbai. On April 17 and May 6, he said, all the 10 emergency berths in 3-AC in Lokmanya Tilak-Chhaptra Godaan Express were utilised by the cancer patients while all the 24 emergency berths in Howrah-bound Gitanjali express were utilised on April 9, 22, 23, 24, 28.

Instances of quotas being entirely utilised by cancer patients have also been reported in trains linking Mumbai to Guwahati and Hatia. The Minister said separate quota for cancer patients is also available in some trains. (PTI)