Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said the government will increase spending on the healthcare sector from 1.3 per cent to 2.5 per cent of GDP during the period.

J. Hari Narayan, 63, Chairman, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, or IRDA, travels incessantly on work.

J. Hari Narayan, 63, Chairman, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, or IRDA, has to travel incessantly on work. During a brief halt in Mumbai, on his way to Hyderabad, where IRDA is headquartered, JHN - as he is known in the industry - a 1973 batch IAS officer and classical music enthusiast, spoke to Anand Adhikari on the current state of the general insurance business in the country. Edited excerpts:

While the top guns of India's stock markets have made widely different bets for the future, there's a common thread that runs through their strategies. All of them are hopeful about the growth of India's equity market and its ability to create wealth over the long run.

Providing access to quality health care should be the real concern, not the perceived impact of FDI on drug prices.

A number of start-ups have begun offering medical advice round the clock, either on telephone or online - some providing basic diagnosis and treatment suggestions, others a lot more. The specialists are a global crowd, with some based in the United States, Britain, West Asia and Africa, apart from India.

They were strong contenders for the BT Top 25 list this year.

The company reported a net profit of Rs 14 crore against a loss of Rs 14.3 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal.

Equities that you should aim to have in your portfolio.

The latest BT-TeamLease survey shows hiring has stabilised, says Anumeha Chaturvedi.

Fortis Healthcare on Thursday said it has acquired 74.59 per cent stake in its group firm Super Religare Laboratories (SRL) for Rs 803 crore.

Health ministry officials along with a team of the country's leading medical specialists are then expected to deliberate on the issue and draw up a standard template.

The Fortis-SRL deal is legally watertight, but the jury is out on whether it is proper or not.

Arvind P. Datar says every budget in our country seems to pursue a single-minded agenda of raising the tax rates without any concern for the manufacturing and service sectors.

The Budget this year had a shocker in the form of five per cent service tax on all diagnostic tests in the private sector and on all services provided at private hospitals with 25 beds or more.

Healthcare needs have not been adequately addressed, says Dr Prathap C. Reddy of Apollo Hospitals.

With medical costs rising and growing at over 10 per cent for four years in a row, the burden of healthcare has become increasingly heavy on the middle class.

The government on Monday proposed imposition of 5 per cent service tax on treatment in private hospitals, paid either by individuals, insurance companies or firms.

The health insurance sector, which is growing at a rapid pace, is all set to witness a sea-change with the ushering in of portability from July 1.