The National Population Policy (2000) aims at complete protection of all children against vaccine preventable diseases by 2010. Urban poor, many residing in slums, comprise about one-fourth of India’s 285 million urban population. 60% of the children aged 12-23 months in urban India are fully immunized; coverage among urban poor children is a dismal 43%.

On 31 May 2005 (World No Tobacco Day), the Health Minister of India informed the media that the Ministry of Health would ban depiction of any form of tobacco use in films and teleserials with effect from 1 August 2005. Predictably, this announcement triggered a storm of protests from the film industry and sections of the media. (Editorial)

After visiting hospitals and slums VIBHA VARSHNEY has found that asthma makes poor children suffer far more than their rich counterparts. And a complete lack of policy, or official action, compounds their affliction

This article is a history of the last stage of the global smallpox eradication programme, christened in India as the National Smallpox Eradication Programme (NSEP).