Express Daily Briefing: Junior MoS set to get bigger role; Jal Shakti borrows Nitish idea of user fee for piped water; and more

Exclusive: Junior ministers set to get bigger role

In an effort to involve Union Ministers of State (MoS) in the decision-making process, the Cabinet Secretariat has directed ministries to ensure that files are routed to the Cabinet ministers through the MoS concerned. Several ministers were not happy about the lack of sufficient work assigned to them in previous governments.

Jal Shakti borrows Nitish idea, considers proposal on a user fee for piped water

The Jal Shakti Ministry, officially constituted Monday, is considering the imposition of user fees for piped water supply along the lines of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s “har ghar nal ka jal” scheme. In the Bihar model, people pay a basic user fee of Re 1 a day or Rs 30 monthly for the service provided.

Editorial: Search for cure

Whatever be the provocation, the violence against doctors is inexcusable. But the episode lays bare an aspect of the country’s healthcare system that hasn’t received adequate attention in the policy discourse: Physicians lack the communication skills to engage with emotionally-charged relatives of patients suffering life-threatening diseases.

Explained: What new ISI chief’s appointment signals to India

As the head of the Pakistan ISI, Lt General Faiz Hameed will practically run the nation from the shadows, and crucial aspects of foreign policy. He is the de facto number 2 in the Pakistan Army, and arguably in the country after the Army chief. India will watch him for how he directs the relationship of the ISI with terror groups JeM and LeT, writes Nirupama Subramanian.

Kerala woman misdiagnosed with cancer: ‘Yet to recover from chemotherapy’

A Kerala woman, wrongly diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, is struggling to get her life back on track. Rajini, 38, has registered a complaint with the police as well as the state health department. “I lost my health. I have been the only bread winner of the family. I would be able to go for work only after six months,” she said.

Now, only Pandya’s bat does the talking

Hardik Pandya’s childhood coach Jitendra Singh shares with Sriram Veera how, after being banned for his unsavoury comments on a TV chat show last year, the all-rounder emerged stronger and made his way back in the Indian team.

And finally…

By 2027, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country. According to a new United Nations report, India will remain the most populated until the end of the century.