The central government has for the first time allowed a private company, Bajaj Healthcare, to process opium to extract alkaloids used to make pain-killers, cough syrups, and even cancer drugs. Two government factories in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, and Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, do the work yet, processing some 800 tonnes of opium gum annually to extract alkaloids. The government on Tuesday gave Thane-based Bajaj Healthcare an initial contract to process 500 tonnes of opium gum annually and wants production to be at 800 tonnes per annum (tpa) in the next five years, indicating the state's exit from the highly-regulated sector.
In a reversal of its two-year-old decision to avoid from the purview of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, the finance ministry, which administers the Act, has once again proposed compulsory registration of all medicine manufacturers and dealers that handle drugs that contain narcotic and psychotropic substances before the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN). CBN comes under the revenue department of the ministry.
It was the sharp eye of a Brazilian TV reporter that led to Silvia Grecco being awarded FIFA's Best Fan award in Milan on Monday.
Salma Hayek has tied the knot with French magnate Francois-Henri Pinault in Paris on Valentime's Day.
The toll is likely to rise as school officials claimed most of their 476 pupils complained of severe stomach ache after eating sweetened cassava earlier in the day.
Trump said Putin would have been happier if Clinton had won as this would have made America weak.
A Delhi court Wednesday issued summons to former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the INX Media money-laundering case on taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against them.
Pune is likely to grab the hosting rights of India's only ATP 250 event, Chennai Open, from next year with the backing of the Maharashtra state government.
The All India Tennis Association says it will not waive 'royalty' of around US $40,000 on the Chennai Open unless the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association proves that the tournament is a loss-making venture.
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