Guwahati, April 18: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said there is a need to create health schemes that provide widest coverage to the young, aged and infirm, and those suffering from both critical acute and chronic ailments.
Naidu was addressing a gathering after launching Atal Amrit Abhiyan by the Assam government here.
The unique health scheme seeks to provide access to quality medical care to 3.2 crore people.
The Vice President called on the private sector to supplement the efforts of the government in a big way in reaching out medical care to the people in rural areas.
He further said that quality of health services should be good enough to improve the health of those receiving services.
"People should be protected against financial-risk, ensuring that the cost of using services does not put people at risk of financial harm," he added.
Naidu said modern day lifestyle is leading to various non-communicable diseases and said that efforts are needed to arrest the growing incidence of such disease which is affecting even the young.
"There has to be concerted efforts from all stakeholders in healthcare to raise awareness among the people on the dangers of leading sedentary lifestyles, eating junk food, harmful use of alcohol and tobacco," he added.
Naidu who was on a three day visit to northeast also stressed on the need to change school curriculum include lessons on NCDs and physical exercises should be made mandatory for school and college students. "Wherever possible, 'yoga asanas' should also be taught to children," he added.
The Vice President said northeastern states, like the rest of India, are facing shortage of medical manpower and medical facilities in rural areas.
"This shortage has to be bridged by opening more medical colleges and setting up more number of healthcare facilities in the rural places," he added.
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Karnataka new excise policy: Local liquor to get costlier, premium may get cheaper
Bengaluru: The state government on Monday rolled out a new excise policy that shifts from the decades-old bulk litre-based system to a model based on alcohol content in beverages, Deccan Herald reported.
Karnataka becomes the first state in India to adopt this model. The change is expected to make lower-priced liquor costlier, while some premium brands may see a reduction in prices.
A senior Excise Department official said: “The policy is being implemented from today (May 11). The Karnataka Excise (Excise Duty and Charges) (2nd Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified after a public consultation on a draft released on April 18, slashes the number of excise slabs from 16 to 8.”
Local liquor manufacturers have alleged that the policy favours multinational companies producing beer and spirits over domestic distilleries.
According to the Karnataka Brewers and Distillers Association (KBDA), the first five slabs, which cater to the common man, house the maximum number of state-owned distilleries and contribute nearly 70-75% of the state’s excise revenue, have seen their Additional Excise Duty (AED) rise by 20-30%.
In contrast, slabs 6 to 8, which include products from multinational companies such as United Spirits, Bacardi, Heineken, Carlsberg, and Anheuser-Busch, have seen AED reduced by 10-15%. The association said that while larger companies can absorb pricing shifts across their diverse portfolios, smaller regional distilleries limited to budget liquor may face volume contraction and potential closure.
A senior KBDA member said the price of a 180 ml bottle in the lowest slab, which was around Rs 63 last year, has already risen to Rs 80, and the new policy is set to push that price further to Rs 105 a jump driven by a 42.8% tax bracket.
